KisaRitsu Magnet
by laharvey125
Summary: Heartbroken from a recent break-up, 18 year old Ritsuko reluctantly gets talked into going to a party by her best friend Shizako. There she meets Kisame, a 28 year old college student, and the nights events as well as her heart take a most unexpected turn. KisameXOC, ItachiXOC, Shizako OC used with permission by my friend Britt. Warning: Lemon story
1. Chapter 1: The Nosy Stranger

_Authors Note:  
_This story is set in our world. Just wanted to clarify that ahead of time.

* * *

_Starships were meant to fly  
Hands up and touch the sky  
Can't stop 'cause we're so high  
Let's do this one more time  
(Oh oh, oh oh)_

Ritsuko groaned as she pressed a hand against her aching head. The flashing neon lights, the boisterous crowd in the club, and the booming base combined into a nightmarish mess. Now that pain in her head matched the pain in her heart. She felt so raw and exposed in the middle of the dance floor. Surely her heartbreak was obvious to everyone else as what was left of her heart still longed for Kankuro. Despite the humiliating break-up, she kept checking her phone to see if he'd returned her calls yet. This is the 21st century for crying out loud. No one needs their parents to approve who they date. They were both eighteen, old enough to make their own decisions and to seize the future they had planned together. But once Daddy dearest threatens to disinherit OH NO! Suddenly she's disposable. _I hate him!_ She thought bitterly as she checked her phone yet again. She knew that he wasn't ever going to call and yet still foolishly hoped that he would. Unsurprisingly the inbox was empty. With a snarl she shoved her phone into the back pocket of her skinny jeans.

She never should have come here. She should have stayed home and ignored the phone when she saw Shizako Nara's number. Her best friend had insisted that a night out would do some her good; lift her spirits, and all that feel-good sugary crap. She only agreed because it seemed better than wallowing in misery at home. So here she was waiting for her so they could go to some stupid party but apparently she was running late. Now she felt like it had been a mistake to come at all so she turned on her heel to leave. Especially when the atmosphere had settled down into a slower song with Rhianna's "Only Girl in the World." Her hands curled into angry fists. Kankuro used to make her feel that special…like they were the only ones that mattered. And like a sucker she completely fell for it.

To her surprise someone gently caught her by the hand. She turned around and was startled to see a man towering over her. He looked much older than her but his gentle eyes set her nerves immediately at rest. His skin glowed blue underneath the flashing lights and he wore his navy hair faux-hawk style. He smirked gently. "Let's dance," he said as he jerked his head back towards the dance floor.

She frowned and shook her head. "I'm not in the mood." She said as she tried to pull free.

"I know," he said as he tugged her back into the crowd. "That's why I'm asking."

_So boy forget about the world cause it's gon' be me and you tonight  
I wanna make you beg for it, then Imma make you swallow your pride_

She struggled harder but his grip on her was firm but still gentle. She sensed tension in his arms as if he was capable of greater strength but saw no reason to use it yet. He had a muscular build; probably one of those body-builder types. He was definitely handsome but that was beside the point. "Let go of me!" She hissed angrily and fire blazed in her eyes.

She was a spitfire. He liked that. Her temper emphasized her beauty. "Just humor me kid. It's only a dance; its not like fate's involved."

She pouted but he was right. One little dance was no big deal. "Fine but don't get fresh unless you want to meet my fist."

Oh he just couldn't resist. Curious if she really meant it he slid his hand down her backside. She swung her fist and he deftly caught it with the same hand. She stared at him open-mouthed, completely floored by his incredible reflex. He continued to dance and rested her hand against his chest. "Just testing you," he reassured her. "You're strong for a little squirt."

She glared at him but he just chuckled. On the music continued all around them:

_Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside  
And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night_

"Why did you ask me to dance?" She demanded.

His smile faded slightly though he tried to shrug indifferently. "You looked like you could use a good dance."

"Explain," she frowned.

"I'll tell you if you'll tell me why you're acting like such a sour puss."

She flinched. "That's none of your business."

"Then I have nothing to explain either," he said casually enough. And for the remainder of the dance they both were silent.

_Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world... _

She lowered her gaze shamefully. Why couldn't she be that girl for Kankuro? Why wasn't she enough to please him and his stupid family? Her heart ached painfully and she was startled to feel the stranger gently squeeze her hand. He wore a sympathetic smile. "I know that it hurts now," he whispered softly. "Right now you think that the sun will never shine as brightly as it did then. But it will get better. I promise."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she huffed.

That didn't seem to deter him at all. "I do…I recognize the pain in your eyes." She quickly looked away as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Whatever you do, don't lock your heart up so tightly that it's past feeling."

She didn't want to hear his kind words. It was weird to hear them coming from a stranger anyway so she turned on her heel and stormed away. He watched after her with a sad expression. He felt sorry for her because he had gone through it too. Such heartbreak is obvious to those who've experienced it. But she'll have to find her own way to deal with the loss. He checked his watch and swore under his breath. He was going to be late if he didn't hurry.

Ritsuko stormed out of the club and ran into Shizako. "Whoa hold up!" Shizako cried out as she caught her by the shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"Home!" Ritsuko snapped as she shrugged her off and kept going.

"What?! No way!" she said as she grabbed hold of her by the shoulders to stop her. "Enough pining over Kankuro. Forget that jerk already and let's go have some fun!"

"I'm not in the mood," Ritsuko grumbled but Shizako ignored that as she led her back to the car.

"My boyfriend Itachi is throwing a party at his house with some of his buddies from college," Shizako explained with a wide grin. "It's definitely gonna be wild."

"And possibly illegal," Ritsuko raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, don't drink if you don't want to," She shrugged. "But seriously! It's going to be _lots_ of fun."

Ritsuko gave up and sat in the car. Shizako's argument hardly won her over but she was familiar with her friend's stubbornness and wasn't in the mood to fight her on this. "Alright let's go." She said emotionlessly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"And who knows, maybe you'll meet someone new," Shizako winked at her.

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Yeah just what I need; more guy trouble."

Shizako turned the car on and started to drive. She risked a quick look at her friend. She leaned against the door, resting her head on the glass. It was weird to see her friend so…emotional. Ritsuko was the classic loner-type who usually kept her true feelings to herself. She really opened up when she was started dating Kankuro and Shizako had been thrilled. But now that it was all over between them, she hated to think that Ritsuko would hide inside herself again. "Look, you know that I'm here for you right?"

Ritsuko didn't make eye contact but her expression softened just a bit as she nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Good, so then relax and we'll have a good time ok?" She held out her first. "You and me just like old times."

Ritsuko smirked and fist pumped her. "That will never change."

Shizako smiled back and the mood felt considerably lighter. By the time they pulled into the Uchihas' driveway, Ritsuko actually started to feel excited about the party. She whistled as she looked out the window. "His place is HUGE!"

"Well it's his parents' place," she confessed. "But yeah, the Uchihas are pretty rich."

That did explain why the place was crowded with people dancing, chatting, eating, and general goofing around. As they entered the house, LMFAO's song boomed throughout the house.

_When I walk in the spot (yeah), this is what I see (ok)  
Everybody stops and they staring at me  
I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it, show it, show it, show it  
I'm sexy and I know it_

"There he is!" Shizako squealed with excitement as she dragged Ritsuko over to the host. Itachi stood there, surrounded by a gaggle of giggling girls. They tried hard to get him to smile and talk with them but he was content to sip his drink and nod politely at the right times. He wasn't being rude to them; he just seemed content to keep things casual. When he saw Shizako, his face lit up with a handsome smile and he immediately approached her. The other girls pouted and frowned as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Ritsuko wore a sad side smile. They really did look good together. Shizako then turned to introduce her to him. He nodded and firmly shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Shizako speaks very highly of you."

"All exaggeration I bet," Ritsuko smirked as she rested her hands on her hips.

"What? Of course not!" Shizako protested but Ritsuko laughed and tweaked her nose teasingly. Shizako swatted her hand away.

"Ah Kisame!" Itachi said as he waved to someone in the crowd to come over. "I didn't think you'd make it."

"I had a few hours to kill so I figured why not waste them here?" a familiar voice teased. Ritsuko felt chills run down her spine as she recognized it. And there he was, that annoying stranger from the dance club.

"I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Shizako," Itachi introduced. "And this is her friend Ritsuko."

"So now we're properly introduced," He smirked deviously as he took her hand and bent down to kiss it. The nerve! Her temper flared and without thinking she tried to slap him with her other hand. Once again he easily caught it with his other while still moving in to brush his lips against her fingers. She glared at him with such a terrible fury that he was amused by it. He liked her spirit. "I think we'll be great friends, don't you?" He teased.


	2. Chapter 2: The Game

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes at Kisame as a low growl echoed inside her throat. "Cool it Suko." Shizako hissed in her ear. "He's Itachi's best friend."

Ah so in other words pummeling him in front of Itachi wouldn't be wise. She swallowed her anger, only for Shizako's sake, and forced a friendly smile. "If you say so, sir."

So she was gonna play that game huh? Kisame chuckled as he let go of her hand. "Don't force yourself," he teased with a wink before turning to ask Itachi a question. Shizako briefly pulled her aside. "What's gotten into you?" She asked in exasperation. "You're more violent than usual."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Ritsuko said off-handedly. "You only wanted to come here so you could spend time with Itachi, so go already."

"That's not the only reason," Shizako protested. "Besides I probably won't have him all to myself anyway. Not with all the competition around here." She sighed as she noticed a preppy-looking girl in tight, revealing clothes approaching Itachi with a drink and a flirtatious smile.

"Assert yourself and claim your territory," Ritsuko said but Shizako still hesitated, even when the girl had the nerve to lean in and adjust his collar. "Fine, I'll do it," Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she approached the girl from behind and whispered in her ear. "He's already got a girlfriend so leave him alone."

The girl looked at Ritsuko over her shoulder. Her condescending glare was severe as she took in the sight of the purple-haired punk. "Don't talk to me like that, you brat." She sniffed indignantly. Ugh, her voice was too high-pitched.

Ritsuko grinned deviously. "Oh you don't like that huh? Perhaps you're right, that was far nicer than you deserved." She grabbed hold of one of her pony tails and dragged her away. The girl squealed in pain and beat her with her pink-sequined purse. Ritsuko snatched the purse away and tossed it into a large aquarium. Those who saw cheered and jeered as the preppy girl had a hissy fit about retrieving it.

Itachi blinked in surprise. He didn't understand what was going on but Kisame laughed and whistled along with the crowd. Shizako wrapped her arms around Itachi in a side hug. "Your friend's manners are…uh…unusual," Itachi confessed.

"Yes, but she's the best," Shizako reassured him with a kiss on his cheek. He looked down at her with a soft smile which made her heart race. Itachi is such a reserved man but it was moments like these that made her melt. He gently kissed her mouth and she savored the taste.

Ritsuko enjoyed her twenty seconds of fame and then successfully managed to blend into the crowd. The music continued on:

_Take me by the tongue_  
_And I'll know you_  
_Kiss me 'til you're drunk_  
_And I'll show you_  
_All the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_  
_I've got the moves like Jagger_

She opened up a cooler and rifled through the ice trying to find something that wasn't beer. She suspected that Shizako was going to try some so at least one of them ought to remain sober. Towards the bottom she found some Mountain Dew and cracked it open. She took a long drink and heard someone approach her from behind. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know," Kisame said in amusement.

She smirked at him. "Yeah I get that a lot."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," he chuckled. "I bet it gets you into a lot of trouble too."

She shrugged and took another sip. "She had it coming though."

"She also happens to be the District Attorneys' daughter," he clarified. "The Ziegler family is a very prominent in town."

"So she's a prominent little priss who STILL it had coming to her," Ritsuko giggled wickedly.

He shook his head wryly. "That's pretty brave talk but your family could suffer their wrath."

"I doubt that. I'm a foster kid," Ritsuko said indifferently. Kisame choked on his beer and coughed. She thumped him on the back. "Real smooth," she teased.

"I'm sorry, it's just that-"

She arched an eyebrow shrewdly. "That what?" She challenged. He didn't know what to say and she giggled softly at his discomfort. "Don't worry about it. It's not like it's a big deal. Besides does it make me any less of a person because I don't happen to live with my parents?"

"No," he admitted sheepishly. "It's just that it's different from the norm."

"It is what it is," she said off-handedly as she took another sip. She sensed his puzzlement but didn't feel like talking about it anymore. She finished off her soda and left to find a trash can. She walked past Itachi and Shizako who were sitting in a chair in the corner. They were slightly out of view and fairly ignored by the bustling crowd. She was straddling his waist and kissing him lightly. Well it was more of a gentle taste than a real kiss. His hands wandered down her sides and squeezed her hips possessively. She leaned into him with a faint blush on her cheeks as the kiss began to deepen. Ritsuko felt a little jealous as she saw the scene play out but she was happy for her friend. Shizako really deserved the best. Ritsuko eventually found a trash can and then wandered around trying to find something entertaining. The basement had some video-gaming going on, there was dancing on the first floor, karaoke on the second, and the third floor was all bedrooms and…well…those activities were obviously exclusive. So she wandered outside to find a small number of people in the pool area. That looked a little more fun.

Kisame soon grew bored with the scene. He didn't understand why Itachi bothered to throw such big parties when he didn't socialize that much. Maybe it was to maintain his popularity on campus. For whatever reason, the crowd just did their thing. Kisame didn't feel inclined to mix and mingle. He wasn't really in the mood for a party. He only came to spend more time with Itachi. After all Kisame was planning on transferring to another university at the end of the semester. But once he met Shizako he knew that ruined any chance he had of hanging out with him. Not that he resented her for it. She seemed nice enough and he was happy for his friend. Itachi tended to keep to himself so he was pleased that Itachi had managed to open himself up to love. He was a good guy, he deserved happiness. But that still left Kisame all by himself in a crowd of obnoxious partiers who were less cool than they thought they were. What a waste of time this had turned out to be. Then he perked up as he saw Ritsuko walk past the window. Yeah she was just a high schooler but she was the only one here that seemed any fun. He followed after her.

Ritsuko didn't notice him following close behind. She looked around to see kids in their underwear swimming in the pool. She would have preferred the hot tub but couples primarily occupied that. She took off her shirt and then squeaked in horror when she felt Kisame's hands run down her sides. She twisted around to see him laughing. "What the heck do you think you're doing!?" She cried out. She blushed to see his eyes lingering on her small breasts and she quickly crossed her hands over them.

"Oh so NOW you prefer to be modest?" He teased with a grin as he snapped her bra strap playfully. She swatted his hand away and he caught her by the wrist. "What is it with you and hitting?"

"I only hit the bad guys," she glared at him.

He leaned down to stick his face in her hers and grinned wickedly as he reached around to finger the clasp of her bra. "You haven't even begun to see my bad side." He murmured as he tugged hard on it. She gasped and went an absolutely adorable shade of red which made him laugh. "So despite all your bravado, you're really just a softie after all."

"I am not!" She snapped as she grabbed hold of him and flipped him up over her shoulder and into the pool. He fell in, clothes and all, with a spectacular splash. He came up coughing and sputtering as the others laughed and jeered. She crouched down on her heels and smirked. "That's a good look for you."

"It'll look even better on you," he smirked in turn as he reached out grab her. She twisted away but fell back on her butt. He snatched her ankle and pulled. She screamed and clawed at the ground to keep from falling in but his grip was firm. She fell on top of him and they went under together.

She pushed him away and resurfaced. "You jerk!" She fumed.

"Hey you started it," he laughed as he treaded water. "Besides you were already going to swim, I just sped up the process." She still looked upset and he ruffled her hair. "Lighten up kid, it's a party. You're supposed to have fun remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," she grumbled.

"Why did you come if you clearly don't want to be here?" He asked curiously.

"I came because Shizako asked me to. But it looks like she's ditched me for her boyfriend."

"How ironic," he said wryly. "Because I only came because Itachi asked me to."

At this Ritsuko wore a small smile. It softened her features and he liked that. "So in fact neither one of us wanted to come here tonight."

"So how about we ditch this crappy party and have some real fun?" He asked as he came a little closer.

She rolled her eyes. "So you can show me a mediocre time and then wind up in your bed?"

"Don't flatter yourself," he smirked. "If I wanted you, you'd already be in it begging for more." His hand pressed into the small of her back, bringing her in close against him.

"I beg for no one," she said defiantly but her eyes gleamed mischievously. She liked his style. He was strong, self-assured, but with just the right level of deviousness. She traced along his jaw line with a slender finger. "You can't handle the likes of me," she challenged coyly. He was handsome after all, what harm would a little flirting do?

"You sure about that?" He grinned wickedly as his fingers dug in slightly. "Why don't we have a little wager then? First one to make the other groan wins?"

"You just want an excuse to kiss me, admit it," she teased.

"Never," he said as he leaned in to bite her lower lip.

She giggled. "What do I get when I win?"

She was a cocky one alright. He liked that. "A kiss from me is reward enough."

She burst out laughing as she pulled away. "Oh yeah right! That's worth nothing."

"You only say that because you haven't had one yet," he grinned as he swam closer.

"Kankuro!" A girlish squeal called out across the patio.

Ritsuko whipped her head around and stared open-mouthed. He came around the corner and her heart stopped at the sight of him. He slouched slightly, with his thumbs hooked into the pockets of his torn jeans. Oh he looked so sexy with his spiky brown hair and lean but firm muscles that showed through his tight black v-neck shirt. She swam towards him but stopped short when she saw that girl she humiliated earlier run into his arms. "There you are baby!" She cooed as she kissed him. "I was worried."

"Sorry about that," he murmured as he stroked her cheek. "My old man kept me behind. But I'm here now…and the night is ours."

Ritsuko felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. That's what he used to say to her too…


	3. Chapter 3: Devastation

So the jerk was nothing more than a player after all. It hadn't even been three days and already he had already moved on…and in too, as his hands slipped down the back pockets of her mini skirt. Ritsuko didn't know which was worse: the fact that she'd been so easy to replace or that he'd chosen such a barbie instead. To see him tilt her chin and part her lips with his tongue to kiss deeply destroyed her. It felt like her heart was ripped out and stomped on. How could he? Why would he? This was the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with? Had she been nothing more than a bad nightmare to him? Was she really so easy to forget about?

Kisame watched as she silently stared at the couple. He frowned thoughtfully, what was going on? He reached out to touch her shoulder and she jumped. "You ok?" He asked. She looked at him over her shoulder; devastation was etched on her face. His breath caught in his throat as he saw tears well in the corner of her eyes. His hand rose to rest against her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?" He murmured as he instinctively drew closer. It was hard to explain, especially since he really didn't know her, but he didn't want to see her cry. He wouldn't bear it if she did. She flinched away and turned to climb out of the pool. She hung her head as she snatched at her shirt from off the ground. "Ritsuko wait!" Kisame cried out.

That made Kankuro turn and he saw her yank her shirt back on. "Suko?" He asked. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation as she bit hard on her bottom lip. She stood there looking pathetic as water dripped all around her.

"That's her!" The girl pointed an accusing finger. "She's the jerk who was so mean to me!"

"I don't doubt it," He smirked with eyes colder than ice. "She always was nothing but trouble."

His cruel words were reminiscent of his father's the night he introduced Ritsuko as his girlfriend. "Girls from broken homes are nothing but trouble," he had said. "Walk away now before you regret it for the rest of the life!"

"So what are you doing here anyway?" He drawled. "This party is pretty exclusive."

His taunt spurred her to anger. "Are you saying that I'm not good enough to be invited?"

He chuckled as he wrapped an arm around barbie's shoulders. "You said it, not me."

Kisame frowned at that. He didn't understand what was going on but he didn't like the condescending manner of that guy. Just who did he think he was? Also why was Ritsuko taking it? Her hands curled into trembling fists but they remained still at her sides. She loved him, she trusted him…she'd given him _everything!_ "Why are you treating me this way?" Her voice cracked with emotion. "After everything we've been through…"

"What is she talking about baby?" The other girl cocked her head curiously.

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "I dunno, she must be drunk or something."

Her fragile heart shattered. All slender hopes of reconciliation were gone. Not only had he found someone else, but he now seemed determined to pretend that they had never been together. How could he harden his heart and forget the tenderness they'd shared? How could he be so cruel and unfeeling? Was this the jerk she used to dream about at night? The one boy she'd ever dared to open her heart to? The sight of his smirking face when surrounded by his buddies made her wonder if she'd really ever known him. Had it all just been an act? Tears welled up in her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Just go home," he said as he turned to leave with his girl. "A freak like you doesn't belong here."

The crowd snickered and muttered insults about her punk clothes which looked gaudy compared to their designer labels. She didn't hear them as she just stared after him. He walked away without looking back, his hand slipped into the back pocket of barbie's mini skirt. She couldn't believe what had happened. It had to be some kind of nightmare. Kisame approached and rested a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?"

She flinched at his touch and shrugged him off, refusing to look at him. "I'm just fine," she said tersely and then stormed off. She ran into the house and looked for Shizako. She couldn't stay here any longer; she'd had enough and wanted to go home. Even the song that blasted throughout the house seemed to mock her:

_I said no more teachers and no more books_  
_I got a kiss under the bleachers hopin' that nobody looked_  
_Lips like licorice, tongue like candy_  
_Excuse me miss, but can I get you out your panties?_

_In the back of the car_  
_On the way to the bar_  
_I got you on my lips (I got you on my lips)_  
_At the foot of the stairs_  
_With my fingers in your hair, baby this is it..._

_She won't ever get enough_  
_Once she gets a little touch_  
_If I had it my way_  
_You know that I'd make her say_  
_Ooooooooooooooh_  
_Ooooooooooooooh_

But her friend was no where to be found. Or rather, Ritsuko didn't check the one place she just happened to be: Itachi's bedroom. The blushing…and half naked Nara was deliciously pressed into his bed. Itachi's caress was gentle but made her pulse skyrocket. His lips ran along her neck as his tongue outlined its contours. She arched into him with a soft groan. "Oh Itachi," she murmured as her hands massaged his defined abs. Her fingertips then drifted downward and she zipped his pants, letting his hardness extend and press against her. They both groaned at the mutual pleasure that created. Passion burned in his eyes as he grabbed hold of her panties at the same time as she pulled at his pants. Once the rest of the clothes were thrown aside, she wrapped her arms around his neck, embedding her fingers in his soft ebony hair. Her heart burst with emotion as he deepened the kiss. She loved it when he dropped his calm demeanor and acted on his feelings. It was love that went beyond words, it ran soul deep. She gasped as she felt him slip inside of her. He slid in and out, slowly at first as her body adjusted to him. "Faster," she whispered as her fingertips now dug into his shoulders. He grinned at her request and readily complied. He thrust in long and hard, enjoying how she trembled with desire in his arms. Her blue eyes were half-closed, her cheeks flushed, her mouth open as she panted softly. His breathing was just as labored and he hungrily kissed her, drinking in the taste of her sweet mouth. His every nerve was on edge as he knew he was close to climaxing. But he didn't want to ruin things by releasing first. He would wait…though he didn't know for how long he could hold back. Then she threw her head back against the pillows as she gasped and let out the breath in a long pleasurably moan. Euphoria spread throughout her body as she tingled with pleasure. Oh it felt sublime. He felt her squeeze around him, signaling her release and he followed soon after. It was a high unlike any other. He groaned as he dropped down to his elbows, weak from exertion. He continued to twitch inside of her as she pulled him in for a soft, lingering kiss. "I love you Itachi," she whispered into the corner of his mouth. "I love you so very much."

He chuckled softly as he kissed her back. "I love you even more."

Upset that she couldn't find her friend, Ritsuko did something very stupid and desperate. She grabbed a beer from one of the coolers and opened it. She gagged at the bitter taste initially. A few more swallows made her stomach turn over and she nearly threw up. But she pushed past the revulsion and chugged the rest of it down. She staggered back and the empty can slipped out of her hands. She leaned against the wall to steady herself, taking slow breaths to keep the nausea down. She felt light-headed but she could clearly remember Kankuro's cruel words. She grabbed another beer and snapped it open. She would forget it all even if it killed her.

Kisame meanwhile was bored out of his skull. He didn't bother looking for Itachi and his moment with Ritsuko was ruined. He doubted she'd be interested in their little game now. So he played a little Halo with some sore-loser freshmen until he got sick of their whining. He drank a little more, his expression blank as he stared off into nothing. What a waste of an evening. He never should have come here. As the party started to run into the wee hours of morning, most of the crowd had left. Those still remaining had either passed out or were well on their way. Itachi called several taxis to pick them up. Shizako sat beside Kisame on the couch and smiled sweetly. "Itachi tells me that you two have been best friends since you were kids."

He smirked gently. "Yeah, we've been pretty close."

"That must be really nice."

"Is the same true with you and Ritsuko?" He asked, not that he really cared but he humored her attempt at casual conversation.

"No, I only met her a few years ago. She's…well…moved around a bit." She said with down cast eyes. "She's been in foster care for a long time and it's been hard for her to fit in."

Now he was interested as he felt a pang of sympathy. "Are you two good friends?"

"Best friends," she emphasized with a grin.

He chuckled in amusement. "I find that a little hard to believe. She's got real attitude."

"Yeah but that's just a wall that she puts up to protect herself. Deep down, she's really sweet." Kisame had a hard time picturing her being nice…let alone sweet but he took her word for it. "I saw you guys talking earlier. Looks like you two had some fun."

He shrugged. "Yeah until some killjoy called Kankuro came along."

She gasped in horror. "Kankuro was here?" He frowned and nodded. "That's her ex-boyfriend; they just had a nasty break up a few weeks ago. She's been taking it really hard so I brought her here to cheer her up." So that explained the awkward scene at the pool. She looked around. "Where is she now?"

"I don't know," he said as he felt something gnaw away in his stomach. Something was wrong. "She went inside in a huff but that's the last I've seen of her."

Shizako jumped to her feet. "I've got to find her!"

"Alright, calm down, I'm sure that she's just fine," he said though he didn't really believe that himself. He'd seen the heartbreak on her face and that kind of pain can drive people to do some really stupid things. Shizako wasn't convinced either. "You look around here and I'll look down stairs."

She nodded and he went down into the basement. There were a few people still down there, singing some Vocaloid karaoke. He asked them if they'd seen her and someone thought he'd seen someone matching that description in one of the rooms in the back. He went through them, finding each one empty until the very last one. There was a figure crumpled in the corner. He hurried over to it and recognized Ritsuko as she lay surrounded by empty beer cans.


	4. Chapter 4: What is meant to be?

He cursed under his breath as he gathered her in his arms. "You stupid idiot. No guy is worth dying over." He quickly checked her pulse and was relieved to find that she still had one. He gently shook her. "Hey kid, wake up. Hey!"

She jolted awake; her eyes darted around wildly as she gasped. She grabbed hold of his shirt in her panic and he squeezed it reassuringly. "Calm down, it's me."

She tilted her head to the side and squinted. "Oh yeah," she mumbled and her head fell back as she giggled. "For a s-second…I thought you were those s-squirrels again. Talk about chatter boxessss."

He groaned as he rolled his eyes. "You're completely plastered."

"I sssshould hope so," she slurred. "I had to fffforget."

"Forget what?" He frowned.

She went really still for a moment as she stared up at the ceiling, blinking slowly. "I don't rrrremember…but…" she grasped her collar as tears welled up in her eyes. "The pain…it's…sssstill there." His heart leaped into his throat as he found it hard to swallow. She painfully reminded him of himself. She turned her sorrowful gaze on him. "Why?" Her voice cracked.

He hugged her close to his chest, burying his face into her soft neck. It reminded him of his own heartbreak, the guilt-ridden devastation. "I don't know," he confessed. "Some times the pain runs too deep to be covered."

He heard her sniffle as she started to sob. "I hate it," she whined. "I…just want it to sssstop!"

He gently shushed her. "It will lessen in time," he reassured her. He adjusted his grip on her so that he could carry her. "C'mon, let's go."

"No! D-don't leave me!" She panicked as she grabbed hold of him. He looked down at her sadly as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Please…ssstay here…with me."

He sat back down on the floor and she snuggled on his lap. Itachi peeked his head in through the door to see the scene. "Is she alright?"

Kisame nodded. "She's drunk but I think she'll be fine."

Itachi sighed with relief. "I'll let Shizako know," he said. He hesitated for a moment as he realized that Ritsuko was crying. "Maybe I should take Shizako home first. This looks like it might take a while."

Kisame nodded. "That's a good idea." Itachi closed the door and Kisame gently rubbed the girl's back. "It'll be ok. I'll stay here as long as you need me."

Ritsuko cried softly as she clung to him. He looked down at her, surprised to see her so vulnerable but alcohol does that to a person. "I h-hate being alone," she whispered.

"Me too," he admitted, his lips brushing the side of her neck. It had been a really long time since he'd held a girl this intimately. She was slender and soft against him. He closed his eyes as he inhaled her scent. Underneath the stench of beer, he detected what smelled like cinnamon. That's a strange kind of perfume for a girl to wear…but it ensnared his senses. He wasn't completely drunk but slightly buzzed and was dimly aware that his thoughts were wandering to where they shouldn't. Her sitting on his lap, pressed against him definitely wasn't helping things either. He tried to push her away but she clung harder. "Let go," he grunted.

"No," she mumbled.

"I'm being serious kid," he said firmly as he pushed her back. She wasn't strong enough to sit up on her own and fell back, smacking her head on the floor. She grabbed her head and whimpered with pain. He knelt over her to inspect her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "So you rrrreject me too?" She asked sadly. "Just like all the othersssss."

"No, no," he gently shushed her. "You'll find the right guy eventually, I promise. You just have to have faith."

She considered that for a moment. "Do you really b-believe in sssecond chancess?"

He flinched at that and lowered his gaze. "No I don't." He confessed. Looking down turned out to be a mistake. Inches from his face was her cleavage. Granted she wasn't busty by any stretch of the imagination but the neckline curved in to reveal just the right amount. Her breasts looked round and plump. His hand twitched as he longed to see if they were as soft as he remembered. Her chest moved slowly up and down as her breathing was shallow. He closed his eyes as he tried to focus on the conversation. Ritsuko was unaware of the temptation he experienced. All she saw the pain on his face. She cradled his face in her hands and pulled it closer to hers so she could see him better. He blinked at her in surprise. "Ritsuko?" He asked warily.

"Is there any ssssuch person?" She asked quietly.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Isss there that one perfect person out there? Ya know…true love ssstuff."

"I'd…like to think so," he admitted. He squirmed a little in her unintentionally tight grip. She was much stronger than she looked. The awkward angle she held him at made his body gently brush against hers, sending a delicious shiver down his spine. Her mouth looked so full and red…oh it was too much. He closed his eyes and willed his body to stop reacting.

"I'd like to believe that too," she confessed. It surprised him so much that he stared at her. She smiled sweetly, softening her features to the extent that she looked so very beautiful. She giggled softly. "In the sssstories…it's all in the kiss." His heart pounded in his ears. "Can you really t-tell from just one kisss?" She whispered against his lips.

He couldn't resist any longer and closed his eyes as he kissed her. A spark lit up within her as she felt something she'd never felt before…not even with Kankuro. She eagerly kissed him back, wanting the spark to ignite into something more…even if she didn't know what it would become. All she knew was that she wanted more. He groaned as he found her lips every bit as delicious he suspected they'd be. He too felt something pass between them, something unexpected…but very familiar. He selfishly craved more of it. She whimpered as he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth's rich depths. Her tongue curved in time to his, like a dance, as she drank in his taste.

In the background another song sung sweetly could be heard:

_We embrace in a passionate kiss_

_Yet if our love is unforgivable, then all the more_

_We become fired up_

He abruptly broke the kiss and they both panted as they stared at each other. Each one was silent as they processed what had just happened. It felt unbelievably good…but it was also wrong. On some level they both understood that. And yet…Ritsuko pulled him back down for another kiss. "We can't do this," he warned her.

"But we should," she said in a breathy tone. "I've…never ffffelt this way…about anyone." She gently tasted his mouth as he tried to resist a little longer. He groaned softly as his resolve started to weaken. "What if it's…meant to be?" She asked in a tone barely above a whisper. Her hand drifted down the length of his back, massaging his spine so that he arched into her. Pressing into her sensitive area made both of them gasp with pleasure. Then he truly lost it. He kissed her passionately…with no intention of stopping.

_I just want you to hold me; I want you to confirm it for me_

_That the love we have is not some kind of mistake_

_Kiss me on the lips; I want the world to change for me_

_Intoxicated by the love that we share, let me drown in this moment_

He broke the kiss only to kiss along her jaw line. She arched her neck, inviting him for a deeper taste. He eagerly did so, enjoying the rich flavor of her skin to the point that he left soft bruises along it. He traveled further down, causing her to moan with desire as her chest rose beneath his lips. Her body felt on fire, consumed by his expert touch. His hardness swelled against her, pressing through his clothes. She unzipped his pants and stuck her hand inside. This time he whimpered as her fingers drifted along its length. She stroked it, pulled it, in time to his kisses. His passion went out of control as he ripped her shirt off. She pulled off his shirt and they embraced skin to skin. Again he kissed her hungrily, deeply as their legs intertwined.

The song continued on:

_If we happen to completely lose our minds _

_I'll simply melt together with you_

_It is as if all the time in the world is not enough to hold you tenderly_

He slid his hand down the front of her skirt and into her panties. She let out a strangled sort of groan as he stroked her clit. She pressed hard against his hand and he grinned to see just how much she enjoyed it. He then slipped a finger inside, stretching and stroking her. She arched back with a passionate cry as she trembled beneath him. He slipped another finger in, increasing the friction and pleasure. She writhed beneath him, breathing heavily as her eyes rolled back in her head. She didn't realize that her body could feel this good. He waited until she was close to climaxing and suddenly pulled out. "Oh don't stop," she pleaded as she grabbed hold of him.

"I won't for long," he assured her as he removed the rest her clothes. In the back of his mind he felt a twinge of guilt. This shouldn't be happening. She was too young, too vulnerable. But the heat of the moment, the sight of her naked body red from his kisses, her alluring gaze as she brazenly raised her hips to meet him made him forget all. He quickly inserted himself. He closed his eyes as he pulsed inside. It had been a long time since he'd had sex. He had forgotten how good it felt. Ritsuko arched her back with delight as his name escaped her lips. He slid in long and slow, just savoring how delicious it felt. But when she pulled him in for another ardent kiss he pumped deeper into her. This time she dominated the kiss and made him tremble as he craved more. All thought of regret burned out in their fiery passion.

_What we had to go through is different than the dream we had_

_But the reality that is set in stone, for the two of us_

_There's no turning back, I realized after knowing you_

_But that is fine with me, because nobody comes close my most precious…_

He pounded her hard and fast as she kissed him hard along his neck. Their senses were on edge, screaming for fulfillment, desperate for release. Then at the same time they climaxed with intense heat and pleasure. Ritsuko arched hard as she gasped, he groaned as he felt a thrill wash over him. With it brought soothing relief, something he hadn't felt since Kaneko had left him. Ritsuko laid panting back onto the floor, arms spread out and eyes closed with exhaustion. He collapsed beside her, breathing heavy himself. For a time they both lay there, unmoving and silent apart from their gasping for air. He looked at her worriedly, wondering if he'd pleased her sufficiently. His mind felt too heavy and thick to really ponder the moral implications of his actions. She smirked gently at him as she cuddled close. He wrapped his arm around her, drifting his finger down the length of her spine. Ritsuko smiled warmly at him as she stroked his cheek. "What if…some things are…meant to b-be…" her voice trailed off as she soon drifted off to sleep. He looked down at her thoughtfully. "What if some things are?" He echoed.

* * *

_Authors Note:_ For those familiar with Vocaloid's Magnet song, you know that the song is most famously sung by two female avatars. BUT the song itself isn't directly about gay/lesbian love. Its about the lure of a forbidden romance which I find fitting to explain KisaRitsu. So I included it for that reason alone.


	5. Chapter 5: The Morning After

Itachi never bothered to check downstairs to see if Kisame and Ritsuko had left. He was exhausted from the long night and went to bed shortly after returning home. He had forgotten all about them. So the two spent the night in each other's arms; lying naked on the floor. Ritsuko stirred awake to feel warmth at her back and an arm wrapped around her waist. She felt woozy and light-headed as she struggled to wake up from a deep sleep. This must the lingering effects of a dream…one that she had often since the break-up. She groaned softly as she intertwined her fingers with his, causing Kisame to awaken as well. He too thought he was dreaming as he still cuddled her from behind. He planted a row of soft kisses along her bare shoulder, causing her to giggle.

"I love you Kaneko," he murmured.

"I love you Kankuro," she whispered.

Then both of their eyes flew open in horror. "WHAT?!"

She looked over her shoulder to see Kisame staring at her. She screamed and shoved him back. "Get away from me!" She reddened as she realized that he was stark naked. That was really weird. She felt a chill run down her spine and she rubbed her arms for warmth. That's when she realized that she was naked also. "Wha…how...?" Her voice trailed off in horror.

Kisame felt terrible and full of shame. How did it come to this? His memories of last night were all mixed up and jumbled around. He didn't remember what had led to this…all he knew was that it had to be his fault. He was much stronger than her; if he had used force then she would have been powerless against him. "I'm so sorry," he blurted out as he tossed her clothes over. Her shirt was ripped apart so he tossed his instead. They landed around her but she didn't move to retrieve them.

Her lips tightened into a thin angry line and her expression grew thunderous as fire blazed in her brown eyes. "Sorry?" She hissed as she trembled with rage.

He swallowed nervously and nodded. "I didn't mean to, you have to believe me-"

"I'll MAKE you sorry!" She screamed as she flew at him with flying fists. He tried to avoid them but they came too fast. She landed a few good punches which sent him flying hard into the wall, knocking the wind out of him. Then she fell to her knees and threw up. She had pushed herself too far in her hung-over condition. Her body ached, her head pounded, and her stomach heaved as her throat burned. When she stopped she started to cry, trembling from head to toe. She felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so violated. How could this have happened? She flinched as she felt a blanket drop down around her shoulders. Kisame knelt beside her with a black eye and a split lip but he looked sympathetic. She saw the regret in his eyes and realized that he had spoken the truth. That wasn't the face of a rapist. She scowled and looked away, determined to think ill of him.

"I'm gonna press charges," she threatened.

"I'll drive you to the police myself," he said contritely.

"Oh you would, huh?" She chuckled grimly as she forced herself up to stand, wrapping the blanket around tighter.

"Of course," he said seriously. "It being a mistake doesn't justify it."

No it didn't, at least they agreed on that. He quickly pulled on his pants and zipped them up. "I'd recommend that you showered and cleaned up…but you'll need the evidence."

She frowned softly but knew that he was right. Still she didn't relish the thought of putting on clothes that reeked of sex. But she didn't have a choice.

He left her alone in the room to change and went upstairs to find Itachi eating breakfast. Thankfully he was alone. "Oh did you end up staying the night?" The Uchiha asked casually enough. He paused when he saw misery etched on his friend's blue features. "What's wrong?" Kisame couldn't bring himself to speak. The reality was damning enough, to say it aloud would be hell. Itachi slowly stood up. "Kisame?" He prompted again but his friend remained silent. Just then Ritsuko entered the room wearing her wrinkled clothes and Kisame's shirt. Itachi's eyes grew impossibly wide as he realized what had happened and turned a sickly shade of green.

Nothing was said for some time as Ritsuko found it hard to look either man in the eye. "Can I use your phone?" She mumbled. "I need a ride."

"I can give you a ride," Itachi said quickly as Kisame also said, "I'm giving you a ride, remember?"

She glared scathingly at him, making him flinch. "I think you've done enough," she said tersely.

"She's right," Itachi said with a face full of fury. He couldn't believe that Kisame would do something like this, especially to his girlfriend's best friend. "You will wait here until I return," he said firmly.

"What are you, my mother?" Kisame asked sarcastically. He felt bad enough without everyone acting like he was some kind of criminal.

Itachi grabbed hold of his collar and yanked him down to eye level. "Don't you understand what you've done?" He hissed in a deadly quiet tone so that Ritsuko couldn't hear. "Some consequences will not be so immediate."

Pregnant. Ritsuko might be pregnant. That's what Itachi was implying. Kisame found the very thought suffocating. "I'll wait," he squeaked.

Itachi released him and turned towards Ritsuko with a gentle serenity. "Right this way."

She followed and Kisame stared after them as they walked out the door. Then he sank into a chair at the table and covered his face in his hands. "What have I done?" He asked miserably.

Ritsuko decided to sit in the backseat, not wanting Itachi to see her. She wrapped her arms around herself as her head rested against the window. She wrinkled her nose at the manly scent that came off the shirt. Then she realized that her skin reeked of it as well. She felt disgusting and used. She tried hard to remember what exactly had happened so she could include it in her statement to the police. It took some time to piece most of last night together and the result surprised her. She…had been the one to come on to him. _Strange, why did I do that?_ She thought with shame. But then again it made sense. She only drank herself stupid because of her heartache. She not only missed Kankuro but missed companionship, affection, love…perhaps she'd been projecting that onto Kisame instead. So then…he wasn't entirely to blame. That shattered her image of him as a chauvinist. Then she recalled the spark…that intrinsic feeling of intimate connection. She lowered her gaze as she started to wonder if…perhaps it was…

"I'm sorry," Itachi said sympathetically.

Ritsuko looked up to see his sad expression in the rear-view mirror. "Would you say…that Ki—" she swallowed, having a hard time bringing herself to say his name. "That he makes a habit of taking advantage of girls?"

"No," he said solemnly. "In fact he often makes it a point to avoid attachment altogether. You see…" he sighed. "His fiancé left him…a few years ago."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"She cheated on him with a close friend of ours and they married instead."

She thought about that for a moment, not that it really applied to her situation apart from the knowledge that Kisame wasn't the kind who threw himself at women. So…why her? Surely he was strong enough to resist the sloppy seduction of a drunk. She tried harder to remember…but all that came was an image of them kissing passionately with the words "meant to be" Where the heck did that come from?

"So where would you like me to take you? The police or the hospital?"

"Take me to Shizako's."

He started at this. "But surely you want to press charges."

"I…haven't decided…that is…" she sighed as she pressed a hand against her pounding forehead. "Take me to Shizako. I need her."

"Very well," he purred softly as he turned down a different road. Nothing more was said…what else was there to say? The unspoken loomed overhead with suffocating pressure. But to talk about it wouldn't solve anything either, so the silence remained.

Once he pulled into the driveway Ritsuko tore out of the car and pounded on the front door. Shizako opened it. "Suko? Where have you been?" Ritsuko threw her arms around her friend as she started to cry. Shizako hugged her back but looked completely confused. She looked up to see Itachi's sad face through the glass. She looked to him for answers but he shook his head and put the car into reverse.

Shizako led Ritsuko inside to her room. Ritsuko clung to her, sobbing into her shirt. Shizako sat on the bed and silently held her, letting her cry it out. She knew better than to demand answers, Ritsuko wasn't forth-coming unless she wanted to be. Still Shizako was really worried and scared. Last night Itachi said he was going to drop her friend off later since she was too drunk to be reasonably moved. But she had fallen asleep waiting for her return. If only she had made herself wait, if only she had called to double check on what was taking so long…she felt terrible. At last Ritsuko's wrenching cries began to soften into sniffling sobs. Then she pulled away and Shizako handed her a box of tissues.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she used several of them. At last she went still, her gaze downcast.

Shizako rested a hand over hers, patting it reassuringly. "I'm here," she whispered.

Ritsuko looked up with blood-shot eyes. "I had sex."

"You did?" Shizako gaped. "With who?"

"K-Kis…ame." She forced it out.

Shizako's eyes bugged out of her head. "You're kidding me." Ritsuko glared fiercely and she quickly retracted her statement. "No, of course you're not. I'm sorry it's just that…wow!" She said in a rush. "I just can't believe he'd force himself on you like that."

Ritsuko reddened. "He…didn't."

"He didn't?" Shizako repeated. "You mean that you-?"

She nodded as she went even redder. "I was so blasted drunk that I came onto him."

"And he didn't stop you?" She asked incredulously.

Ritsuko smirked deviously. "I'm not as gentle a lover as you are."

Now it was Shizako's turn to blush. "How would you know something like that?"

"You're not as desperate as I am," she explained. "You have loved ones who care about you and you're secure in that knowledge. I…don't really have that. I love hard, lose hard, especially when it's comes so fleetingly."

Shizako frowned in thought. "Are you saying that you did this on purpose?"

"Of course not," Ritsuko huffed. "I probably mistook him for Kankuro in the middle of a hallucination." Then she paused. "No wait…that's not right."

"What do you mean?"

Ritsuko groaned as she pressed a hand against her head. "I…knew it was him…and not Kankuro. I…asked him a question right as I kissed him."

Shizako perked up with curiosity. "What question was that?"

She tried really hard to remember and then growled in frustration. "Oh I don't remember anymore." She may not have remembered the question but she began to remember the connection. His touch had run soul deep, bringing peace to her troubled heart. She'd never experienced anything like that before. Again it made her wonder if maybe…

"Well…what do we do now?" Shizako interrupted her thoughts.

Ritsuko's hand curled into a fist. "We forget that it ever happened."

"What?!" Shizako protested. "You can't keep a secret like that!"

Ritsuko raised a questioning brow. "You haven't told your parents that you sleep with Itachi. How is this any different?"

"It's completely different!" Shizako snapped. "I use protection and it's a choice we made together!"

Ritsuko didn't back down, instead she looked sad. "But if I report him to the police, they'll have to tell Niigata," she said, saying her foster mother's last name. "If she knew then she'll send me away for sure."

Shizako didn't doubt that, she was aware of the rocky relationship the two had. "But he deserves to be punished!"

"But I was every bit as responsible," she confessed. "I shouldn't have gotten so drunk and made a pass at him. I'm…more to blame than he is."

"I don't buy that," Shizako growled. "He's a man, he could easily refuse you. He should be punished! What if he got you pregnant?"

Ritsuko stared at her in amazement as the concept finally hit home. She wasn't on the pill like Shizako. Niigata wouldn't allow it. Still Ritsuko wasn't an idiot, she knew better than to have unprotected sex…well…except for this one time. And once is all it takes…

She swallowed nervously as she pressed a hand against her queasy stomach. "Well…let's just hope that I'm not."


	6. Chapter 6: Make it Right

Kisame had plenty of time to brood while Itachi was gone. Memories of last night started to resurface; memories of a broken girl…who longed for a second chance. What if some things are meant to be….that was a strange statement for her to make at the time. What was she referring to? He sighed as he ran a hand through his short navy hair. While he couldn't find the answers, he knew one thing for sure. In that one accident, he'd felt a deeper connection to her than he ever had to Kaneko. Yes he loved Kaneko more than anything else; making love to her was sweet though he often had to restrain his more aggressive style of passion. It used to frighten her and he didn't want to cause her pain. With Ritsuko, she was every bit as rough…perhaps even more so as she had conquered him a few times. It had been more of a sexual competition than necessarily love making. He groaned as he couldn't believe that he was seriously comparing the two. Kaneko had been his fiancée, a girl who was very precious to him. Ritsuko…was nothing more than a child. He didn't even know her last name for crying out loud. But still he couldn't deny the effect she'd had on him and again those words haunted him: what if some things are meant to be…

"This is ridiculous," he growled as he pushed away from the table. He took some aspirin to help with his headache and forced himself to eat some breakfast. Surely Itachi wouldn't begrudge him that.

He was just about finished when Itachi returned. His rage had fizzled out; after all he was still exhausted from the night before. He wearily sat down at the table and sighed. "Why Kisame?" He whispered. "What were you thinking?"

Kisame lowered his gaze. "I…I'm not sure."

Itachi narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "You really expect me to believe that? You haven't so much as looked at a girl since Kaneko and I know that you weren't drunk enough for it to be a complete accident."

Kisame scowled slightly but he should have known that Itachi would have been aware of that fact. That Uchiha was more observant than was good for him. Kisame heaved a heavy sigh. "She…reminds me of me right after…" he couldn't finish it. Even four years after the fact and he still couldn't bring himself to talk about her desertion. "I can't really explain it," he confessed. "All I wanted to do was comfort her, give her hope. She was going on about second chances and…" his heart stopped and he stared at Itachi who frowned curiously. "Do you believe in fairy tales?"

Itachi looked skeptic. "Of course not. Why?"

"True love…it's all the kiss," Kisame whispered. "That's what she said. I think she was half-joking when she said that with a kiss."

"She…kissed you first?" He asked quietly.

Kisame nodded. "And in that moment…I…felt something."

Itachi uncharacteristically snorted. "Then you were drunker than I thought."

Kisame wanted to believe him but…even in his sobriety he clearly remembered it. It didn't make any sense. He didn't blame Itachi for not understanding. He wouldn't have either. Itachi took his empty plate and put it in the sink. "I brought her to Shizako's."

Kisame frowned as he turned around in his seat. "Why there?"

"Because she asked me to," he said simply. "I think that she needed the moral support. She was…crying when I left."

Kisame sighed dismally. "I've really screwed up this time. I can't believe it."

"Me either," Itachi admitted. "But there's nothing to do about it now."

"I'm sorry if this jeopardizes your relationship with Shizako," he said softly. He didn't want to ruin the one good thing going for the Uchiha.

"I…don't imagine that it will," Itachi said but his tone lacked the usual confidence.

Silence filled the room as Kisame wrung his napkin, absent-mindedly tearing it into little pieces. "Would you mind if I, you know, wait here until the…cops arrive?" His voice cracked at that last part. It terrified him to think of being arrested for rape. That could complicate the transfer and ruin his chances of getting into that PhD program. But even worse he'd taken advantage of an already heartbroken girl, probably destroying her feeling of self worth forever. And he really hoped that a child wouldn't have to suffer the consequences of their mistake…if she didn't choose to abort it first. It made his stomach turn.

He flinched as Itachi rested a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his friend smile sympathetically. "Of course you can wait here. You need moral support as well."

"Thanks," he cracked a weak smile.

"You're a good man Kisame," Itachi said gently. "I hate to see you caught in this mess."

"You and me both," he grumbled.

He waited at the table for a long time but there was no telephone call or knock at the door. He went to take a long hot shower to get cleaned off. He could afford to, after all Ritsuko had all the evidence to convict him. But when he got out of the shower, he was surprised to learn from Itachi that nothing had happened. He frowned. "It's been two hours. How long is she going to take?"

"The police take their time bringing up charges; they're probably looking into her story a little more first."

That sort of made sense, but that logic didn't seem to apply when it got to be around 5pm. At last Itachi called Shizako to delicately ask but she screamed at him for letting it happen. She didn't directly blame him because she knew he wouldn't be so cruel but she reminded him that he'd promised to bring Ritsuko home. Kisame could hear her angry voice, even a distance away. Itachi flinched and looked miserable. "I'm sorry Shizako. You're right; I should have been more diligent in keeping my promise-"

"Oh give me that!" Kisame snapped as he grabbed the cell phone from him. "Listen here," he said into the phone. "It wasn't his fault so don't take it out on him."

"No its your fault!" Shizako now screamed at him. "How could you? I thought you were a nice guy! Why if I get my hands on you I'm gonna-"

"Then why haven't the police come?" He demanded. "I've been waiting all day for 'em."

At that Shizako shut up. "You mean..?"

"Yes I've been waiting to be arrested."

"You…want to be arrested?"

"It's not a matter of what I want," he said grimly. "It's nothing less than I deserve." He sighed. "It was an accident and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. Ritsuko seems like a nice girl and I hate to have hurt her in such a way. That's why…I have to make it right, in any way that I can."

There was silence for a moment, and then he heard whispering, and recognized one of the voices as Ritsuko's. Did she hear his confession as well? At last some one spoke. "I've decided not to press charges."

He jumped at the sound of Ritsuko's voice. "B-but why?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

"How can you say that?" He asked incredulously. "I'm the one who-"

"No, I'M the one who started it," she said firmly. "And for that…I'm…sorry too."

Kisame didn't know what to say to that. "No Ritsuko," he murmured. "You weren't to blame."

"Oh shut up, I was too," she growled. "Don't try to make me blameless in all this. We were both idiots."

He smirked at that. "You're right. But I'm still sorry to have hurt you."

She sighed and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign. "Look…why don't we just chalk it up to being drunk and try to put this behind us? At least for the sake of our friends."

"I dunno," he murmured.

"You're rather go to jail?" She challenged.

"Well…no…" he confessed.

"Then it's settled. It never happened." And with that she hung up on him.

He stared at the phone in surprise. "What happened?" Itachi asked as he took the phone from him.

"I…uh…" he coughed to clear his throat. "She's decided to not press charges."

"Really?" Itachi's eyebrows sky-rocketed. "Why?"

"She said it had nothing to do with me and that it's her fault."

Itachi blinked in surprise. "Was it her fault?"

"She came onto me first, if that's what you mean. But that doesn't matter," he said as he went to grab his coat.

"Where are you going?" Itachi asked.

"I'M going to make it right," he said firmly.


	7. Chapter 7: The Secret

Shizako wasn't happy about it, but she helped Ritsuko destroy the evidence by cutting up and throwing the clothes away. "I still don't think this is a good idea," she confessed.

"You heard him on the phone," Ritsuko reminded her. "Now does that sound like a guy who makes a habit out of raping girls?"

"Well…no," she confessed. "He did seem pretty sincere."

"There you go then," Ritsuko said as she slammed the lid on the trashcan. "Let's just forget about it."

Shizako looked sad and Ritsuko pulled her into a tight hug. "You're my best friend, I can't lose you Shiza," she whispered. "Not to a one-night-stand mistake."

Shizako knew that she was right. Niigata had no affection for Ritsuko and this would be the perfect excuse to throw her back into the foster care system. She hugged her back. "You'll never lose me. I'm always here."

"I know," Ritsuko's voice cracked with emotion. "And you don't know just how much that means to me."

Shizako smiled. It wasn't often that Ritsuko was that open and honest. "It'll be ok, you'll see," Ritsuko smiled as she pulled away. "Well I'd be heading home before Niigata suspects anything. See you at school tomorrow." She started to run away.

"Don't be late either!" She called after her. "We have that test we have in World History remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll study for it on the bus as usual," Ritsuko grinned deviously as she waved. She loved to run; feel the wind on her face as if she was escaping the things that held her back. She ran down the dark street, arms pumping, heart racing, and an ear to ear grin. Then she slowed down as she saw a familiar sight on the other side of the road, heading towards the police station. She stopped and squinted. Kisame? She panicked as she watched him walk up the stairs to the entrance, hand on the handle.

"Kisame!" She called out. He stopped and turned in her direction. She quickly crossed the road. "Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."

He frowned down at her. "It has to be done."

"No it doesn't!" She snapped. "You don't understand!"

"No, I don't," he agreed. "Tell me why I shouldn't and perhaps I'll change my mind."

Her mouth open and closed uselessly as she found herself caught. She didn't want to tell him, but she couldn't have him blab either. "Fine, come with me," she growled as she grabbed hold of his shirt, pulled him down the stairs and into a nearby alley. "If we tell the police they'll have to tell my foster mother. She'll blow a gasket and ship me back for relocation. I don't want to move away! I don't want to have to start over!" She said in a voice that border-lined on the hysterical.

His expression softened sympathetically. "But you deserve justice."

To his surprise her expression darkened. "What do you think this is? A fairy tale? Do you think that good always triumphs and evil is vanquished? That's not how the real world works!" She hissed as she grabbed hold of his collar. Her temper made her beauty shine and he found himself mesmerized by it. "If it did then I'd still be living with my parents! I won't be kicked around from house to house! Life sucks sometimes, that's all there is to it!"

"But I-" He protested.

"Don't you understand?" She pleaded desperately. "I don't want to be sent away again. I've got a good thing going for me here. Please…can't we just keep it a secret?"

She looked so sad, so vulnerable that he absent-mindedly stroked her cheek. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't tell anyone," she said. "I'm begging you."

He smirked gently. "You beg for no one."

She looked exasperated. "I did say that huh?" She sighed. "This is different though. I have…more to lose this time." Kisame wasn't sure what she meant by that. Her hands uncurled and rested gently against his chest while his hand gently drifted down the length of her neck to rest on her shoulder. Neither one seemed to notice the closeness as they stared deep into each others eyes. He could see how desperately she wanted him to change his mind. And in his eyes she saw how kind and gentle he really was. "Please," she whispered as she leaned in.

"Very well, I'll keep it a secret," He sighed in defeat. "If that's…really what you want." Her face brightened up but he still felt a pang of regret. "But are you sure that it's a good idea?" He asked warily. "After all I…" he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. He sighed and looked down. Then he stiffened as he realized just how close they were. She too noticed and pulled away with a blush.

She didn't say anything for a while. "About last night…" she started warily.

"Yes?" He asked nervously.

"Do you…remember what I asked you?"

He blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

She pressed a hand against her head. "I asked you something right before I kissed you. What was it?"

He reddened slightly. "You asked if you can really tell from one kiss."

She blinked innocently. "Tell what?"

"Tell…who your true love is," he said shyly.

She looked surprised and then burst out laughing. "Wow…I must have been really out of it!" For some reason he was a little disappointed by her reaction. "As if you could really tell something like that from just one kiss," she rolled her eyes.

"Exactly," he said but the words felt flat and forced. What did he really expect though?

Just then her phone went off in her pocket. She grimaced as she recognized the name on the caller ID. "Yes Niigata, what do you want?" She flinched as her foster mother screamed at her through the phone. Kisame stared in disbelief. "Just chill, I was on my way home anyway, geez!" She huffed as she hung up the phone.

"Who was that?" He asked in surprise.

"Mommy dearest," she snorted sarcastically. "I better go. See ya later."

"See ya," he echoed as he watched her leave. He watched after her with a frown. What kind of home life does she have?

Ritsuko's heart sank as she walked home and she started fidgeting with the scarf she'd borrowed from Shizako along with the rest of her clothes. Kisame had left several bruises along her neck…and low on her collar bone. It was pretty embarrassing. She thought about her interaction with him. This morning she'd screamed at him; angry, hurt, and humiliated. And yet he was willing to turn himself in to the extent that he was prepared to go against her wishes to do so. Again she remembered the gentleness in his eyes. It stood out from his tough exterior. And yet the night that they'd made love; while he was aggressive, his passion had run soul deep, soothing her broken heart. How…was that possible? It just…didn't make any sense at all. _I'm definitely over-thinking this, _she thought firmly. _A great romance doesn't start with an accidental one-night-stand. I've seen too many of those lame chick flicks with Shizako. In those anything can happen. That's just not how the real world works. Not everyone gets a happily ever after._

And proof of that was the reaction she got when she arrived at the house. Niigata flipped out; nagging her about being late, scolding her for not doing her weekend chores, and went on and on about other crap but Ritsuko was good at tuning her out. After all, she had bigger concerns to deal with.

Niigata talked until she was red in the face, frustrated that she wasn't getting through to the stubborn girl. "You just don't get it do you?" She snapped. "I've had enough of you! After graduation you're out of this house and out of my hair!"

At that Ritsuko whipped around in amazement. "After graduation?" She asked in horror. "But that's…only two months away!"

Niigata grinned. "Ah so NOW you're listening! And yes after that I'm no longer responsible for you."

Ritsuko watched as she stormed away, feeling a sense of dread and unease. In many ways she should have seen this coming. Foster kids leave the system after they graduate from high school and with that meant no further payments to finance her stay. Why didn't she realize it before? She groaned as she continued up the stairs and went into her room. She sat down on her bed and stared off into the distance. She was going to have to leave? Move out? At first the idea terrified her…now it made her smile. Finally! Freedom! A chance to be her own boss for a change! And to do whatever she wanted! How liberating! She threw herself back onto the bed laughing. "Finally! Things are beginning to look up!"

Kisame meanwhile was in a less jovial mood as he drove home. It didn't make any sense why Ritsuko didn't seek revenge. This morning she was furious, ready to kill him. Why the sudden change of mind? He growled softly as memories of last night floated through his mine: the gentle, soft curves of her body, the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips...He sighed as he shook his head to clear it. Maybe Itachi was right, maybe it has been too long since he dated. He just couldn't bring himself to after Kaneko; whether it was to preserve her memory or fear of rejection again, he didn't know for sure. Still the memory of Ritsuko haunted him. Not because of the act itself, but the fact that part of him longed for her…that connection. He had felt it again when she had asked him to keep it a secret. Why? It was really starting to bug him.

He drove home to his little apartment. His calico cat Chie purred loudly and mewed happily. He cracked a side smile as he leaned down to pat her. She licked his hand affectionately. "Now don't try to butter me up; I know what you're really after," he chuckled. He turned to drape his coat over the back of a chair. "Wait just a minute; I'll get you some food." Chie weaved around his legs as he worked the can opener. "Patience girl," he gently chided as he scooped the food into her dish. "It's coming, it's coming…" He set it down on the floor and changed the water in her bowl as she hungrily ate. Thus occupied, he left her to her meal.

He collapsed onto the bed and idly ran through his cell phone inbox. He had missed a call from Itachi but he wasn't interested in calling him back now. It had been a _really_ long day. All he wanted was to sleep, to escape from reality for a few measly hours. So he kicked off his sneakers and rolled onto his side, hugging his pillow close. Chie then came in and curled up beside him, purring alongside him. He absent-mindedly stroked her soft fur._ How am I going to live with a secret like this?_ He wondered miserably with a sigh, but the heartache was short-lived as he soon he drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8: The Espresso Express

Shizako's eyes were on the drive-thru movie screen, but Itachi could tell that her mind was elsewhere. He took her hand in his which startled her, causing her to drop some of her popcorn.

"What's the matter?"

She heaved a sigh as she pressed a hand against her racing heart. "I'm sorry Itachi, I just zoned out for a second there."

"More like ten minutes," he corrected and gently stroked her cheek. "Now what's troubling you Shiza?"

She reddened slightly as she bit her bottom lip nervously. "It's just that…well…I'm worried about Ritsuko."

He frowned curiously. He had been worried about her and especially about Kisame but did a much better job of keeping it inside than Shizako did.

"I'm afraid that she might be pregnant," she confessed. He raised an enquiring eyebrow and she immediately shook her head. "No, it's still too early to find out for sure." She couldn't believe that it had happened only three weeks ago. It had felt like the longest three weeks ever. Though ironically she was more worried about this potential pregnancy that Ritsuko herself was.

"Does Ritsuko suspect that she is?" He asked softly.

She groaned as she rested back against the seat. "Nope, not at all. I don't understand it. It's like she's not worried at all. You know what she said to me about it? No, of course you don't, I didn't tell you before. Well she said, 'Either I am or I'm not. I'm not going to worry about it until I have a reason to.' Can you believe that?"

Itachi smiled gently. "Actually it's a very reasonable point of view. I agree that it's better to not worry unnecessarily."

"But I can't help it!" Shizako whined slightly. "I just don't know what to do."

He cracked a gentle smirk. Shizako had a good heart and it was usually in the right place. Her caring for others sometimes distracted her more than it should and this was one of those times. He reached his hand into her bag of popcorn and placed one against her lips. "Eat your popcorn," he instructed and she obeyed. He pointed at the screen up ahead. "Watch the movie." Then he slid his hand along the inside of her thigh. "And enjoy being felt up by your boyfriend."

She burst out laughing. "Oh Itachi, you can be such a tease sometimes!"

He laughed as well and took her popcorn away. "Would you rather I come more to the point, then?" He teased as he climbed into her lap.

She laughed again as he struggled to fit comfortably in the small space. The car wasn't that big. He straddled her waist and she gasped to feel him harden against her. "Ah, you mean THAT kind of point," she giggled as she blushed modestly. His ebony eyes shone with love and admiration as he leaned in to tenderly kiss her. She loved how gentle he was with her and her heart pounded against his chest. His hand ran down her side and continued down the seat where he pushed the level to recline the seat all the way back.

She giggled again as he now lay on top of her and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You'd better make this quick because my favorite part is coming up and I don't want to miss it."

"What? Oh come on!" He pouted, which made him look super adorable.

"I was only joking," She reassured him with a laugh. Then she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

Shizako wasn't kidding about Ritsuko though. She really wasn't worried about the idea of being pregnant. Ok so maybe sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat over it, but during the day she was too focused on making moving plans. She was excited at the prospect of moving out. Niigata was surprised the next morning to see Ritsuko looking through the Help Wanted section of the newspaper. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a job," she said without looking up.

She blinked in surprise. "A…job? But you already have one."

"That's only part-time," she said. "I'm gonna need something more full-time for when school ends."

Niigata didn't know what to say at first. "Is this about the move out?" Ritsuko nodded which made her groan. "I was just kidding about that! Why do you take me so seriously all the time?"

Ritsuko smirked but didn't say anything. That was one reason why she had a hard time respecting Niigata. She would vent and run her mouth off about things, only to retract them later when she'd calmed down. People sometimes do that, she does it all the time. She was a nice enough woman when she was in the right mood; she just had the tendency to be a psychotic witch most of the time. "On the contrary," Ritsuko said as she circled a few promising leads. "It's one of your best ideas yet."

Niigata sat down and reached out to touch her hand. Ritsuko flinched away which made her face fall. "I haven't been…very good to you, I know," she confessed.

Ritsuko remained silent with downcast eyes as she kept reading. She'd heard all this before and it never meant anything in the heat of the next argument.

"I don't blame you for wanting to leave," she continued on. Ritsuko still didn't respond which made her sigh. "If you're looking for full time work I know of a few openings on that college campus. You should try looking there."

Ritsuko looked up at that and frowned slightly to see her smile. "Thanks…I'll look into that."

That made Niigata smile broadly. "Great! I've got a good friend that works in a little coffee shop there called the Espresso Express. I'll give her a call."

"No really, you don't have to do that," Ritsuko protested.

"Connections go a long way in the job market," she said as she picked up the phone and dialed it. Ritsuko watched in surprise as she spoke to the manager, who turned out to be an old college roommate. It sounded like it was going well and soon Niigata handed Ritsuko the phone.

"Hello?" She asked hesitantly. The woman on the phone introduced herself as Emi Aomori. She proceeded to give a brief interview over the phone which seemed to go pretty well. In the end she scheduled an appointment for after school to come in for a live interview. "Thank you so much, I really appreciate it," Ritsuko gushed gratefully.

"Not at all, my dear," the woman chortled in an endearing way. "I look forward to meeting you in person."

Ritsuko hung up the phone and looked up at Niigata in wonder. "I have an interview today, after school."

Niigata clapped her hands with delight. "That's wonderful news!" Just then there was a crash upstairs, followed by a fit of childish giggles. Sounds like the twins were up their old tricks. Niigata's excitement melted away as she grew furious. "Madoka! Sayuri! Get down here at once!" She screamed.

Ritsuko shook her head in wry amusement. Abrupt attitude change #4 for the day and it was only 7:45am; it was dizzying to keep up with Niigata's mood swings sometimes. "I'm going to school," she said though she doubted that Niigata even heard her.

School was relatively long and uneventful. The only fun parts were during the classes she had with Shizako. Shizako wanted to talk about her date at the drive-thru with Itachi. Ritsuko just rolled her eyes. "Those kinds of dates are so boring. Might as well have stayed home and watched in the privacy of your own living room."

Shizako looked around to make sure that no one else was listening. "We didn't _just_ watch the movie…"

She lowered her neckline to reveal a hickey on her collarbone which made Ritsuko laugh. "Really Shiza, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for making out in public," she snickered.

"Shut up!" Shizako hissed when a few heads turned their way. She playfully smacked her with her textbook but it did little to stop her friend from laughing. In a way Shizako was glad to see her friend back to normal. It had been a rough couple of days initially but now she seemed her old self again.

After school Itachi drove by to pick Shizako up. Sometimes he could fit it into his schedule. He was surprised when Ritsuko approached him and asked for a ride to campus. "I've got a job interview. Don't worry about a return ride; I'll just get a taxi then."

Itachi nodded. "Sure thing, hop in."

Ritsuko sat in the back and watched as Itachi and Shizako tenderly held hands in the middle. It was sweet in its own way and again she felt a little jealous. It made her wonder about second chances and that led her to remember her strange question: Can you really tell from one kiss? How bizarre, even now she didn't even know why she said it. Still, she had to admit that she'd never experienced a kiss as incredible as that before. It had set a unique standard since any kiss before and after that felt obsolete and devoid of passion. Shizako was dropped off first since Itachi intended to stay on campus to do some research at the library.

"So how have you been Ritsuko?" He asked casually enough.

"I'm not pregnant if that's what you mean," she smirked.

She relished the sight of him in the rear-view mirror as he turned beet red. "I…that is…er…_isn't_ what I meant."

"Really? Huh. I would have thought that Shizako has been whining to you about it."

"She was been…concerned."

Ritsuko laughed. "Freaked out is a better word."

He frowned in puzzlement. "Don't you understand how she feels? You of all people should be worried the most."

Yeah he's probably right, she thought to herself as she looked out the window. "What about Kisame? Is he worried?"

Itachi sighed. "More guilt-ridden than anything else. He worries that he's hurt you beyond repair."

She blinked in surprise. "Well he's worried about nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we both agreed that it was nothing more than an accident. He shouldn't be dwelling on it. I'm not." Ok so that was a HUGE lie. Since then she'd often dream of that night; his touch, his taste, his…she turned red just thinking about it again. "Tell him to stop being such a baby. We were drunk, things like that happen. Given the state he found me in, I wouldn't be surprise if some pervert hadn't done the same thing."

Itachi shuddered at her bone-chilling logic but even he had to admit that it was plausible. "You seem…strangely at ease about it."

She lowered her gaze. At ease? Hardly. More like…she'd been through scenarios like that before. Her parents often threw wild parties after her and her siblings went to bed…but didn't keep a super watchful eye on their guests. Those who wandered around upstairs weren't _always _looking for the bathroom. Goosebumps rose on her skin as her stomach turned over at the memories. At least at Itachi's party she would have been too drunk to be aware of it happening. Then again…she was vaguely aware of Kisame at the time. But instead of rebuffing him, she pulled him in, wanting more. Why? It was a mystery she hadn't solved yet.

Itachi noticed that she seemed deep in thought so he was content to remain silent for the rest of the trip. He dropped her off near the Student Union building and pointed out the little coffee shop. She thanked him for the ride and then went inside. It was too big to be a café, but it definitely had a cozy kind of atmosphere. It had several little tables set for 2-3 people, an old style juke-box in the corner, and a bar against the far wall with stools. Ritsuko looked around and admired the vintage décor that brought a sort of sophistication you rarely see on a college campus.

"Can I get you anything miss?" A serving girl asked. She wore a cute little uniform: a white buttoned-up shirt with a small black tie, a short blk/wht striped skirt, and black thigh-high tights.

"No thanks, I'm here for an interview with Mrs. Aomori."

"And your name?" The girl pressed.

"Ritsuko Ryoku."

"Oh yes, she's been expecting you. Follow me," the girl said as she beckoned.

They went around behind the bar, through a back door, down a narrow hallway, where her office was at the very end of it. Mrs. Aomori greeted her with a wide smile. She was a plump, petite woman with square glasses that sat on the end of her nose. "Come in, my dear, and have a seat."

Ritsuko did so as the other girl left. Mrs. Aomori finished the rest of the interview by asking a few more personal questions, asked for references, inquired about job experience, and what kind of schedule that she preferred. Ritsuko was then given her new uniform. "I'll have my Assistant Manager train you personally since our usual employee trainer is away on vacation," Mrs. Aomori said as she walked Ritsuko to the door. "We'll see you tomorrow at six o' clock sharp."

"Yes, thank you," Ritsuko smiled as she walked away.

Niigata was in one of her moods but brightened up when Ritsuko gave her the good news. The next day, Ritsuko went to work a little early, wanting to make a good impression. "The uniform suits you," Mrs. Aomori complimented her. "Its sweet yet sassy," she said with a light-hearted laugh. Ritsuko smiled in turn. She did like the look of the outfit. "I have some business to attend to but the Assistant Manager's office is to the left of mine. He's expecting you so just go right on in."

Ritsuko thanked her and walked down the narrow hallway. She knocked gently on the door. She heard a call to enter and quickly stepped inside.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of Kisame sitting behind a desk. He was equally shocked to see her standing there in uniform.

"You're the Assistant Manager?" She asked in surprise.

"You're the new employee?" He answered with a question of his own.


	9. Chapter 9: Ticket to Freedom

Kisame continued to stare as his heart pounded in his chest. For some time now he had dreaded the possibility of running into Ritsuko again. He worried that he would find just a hollow shell of the vivacious girl he'd met at the party. Now in a way he felt relieved. She looked great. His gaze drifted down as he took in the sight of her in that uniform. It fit her figure to perfection; flattering her soft, subtle curves. Her cheeks reddened, giving light to her complexion. She really was a beautiful girl.

Likewise Ritsuko couldn't help but check him out. His biceps bulged slightly under the sleeves of his polo shirt and through it she could see the faint lines of his defined abs. He was definitely more ripped than she remembered. Then again at the time she was too angry and upset to really notice. She blushed as she felt him examine her just as thoroughly. The prideful part of her wondered if he liked what he saw. She lowered her gaze modestly. "Yes, I'm the new employee."

"Welcome then," he said as he came around to the front of the desk. "You may address me as Mr. Hoshigaki and you will answer to Miss Ryoku."

She crinkled her nose at that as she looked up at him. "That's awful formal, isn't it?"

"Its company rules," he gently reminded her. "Mrs. Aomori likes a sense of decorum in the café. It gives an air of-"

"Pompousness?" She suggested.

He smirked at that. "Propriety."

"Close enough," she smirked in turn. He admired the fire in her eyes. She definitely had spirit.

"If you'll follow me to the front, I'll give you a quick tour."

She followed him down the hallway. "Isn't it a little unusual for a coffee shop to be open this late in the day?" She asked.

"We don't just sell coffee. We also sell tea, hot chocolate, and snacks. But you'll soon find that is this more of a social spot for students."

Ritsuko understood a little better when they returned to the main part of the café. There was a corner lit where some poetry reading was going on. Some people listened and others socialized at their own tables. Kisame showed her where to find everything and make everything. Normally at this point he would have assigned one of the senior staff to carry on from there, but he wasn't ready to leave her side just yet. As a new trainee, they remained behind the bar making the orders for the others to deliver. He helped alongside her and after gentle instruction, she caught on fast. There were so many things that he wanted to talk about but didn't have the heart to bring up.

She felt him tense beside her and wondered if it had anything to do with what Itachi had said in the car yesterday. "Itachi told me that you've been worrying." He glanced down at her. "You shouldn't be," she said softly.

"Why?" He said just as softly.

"Because I'm just fine, really." She sighed as she paused in the middle of making some tea. "And you seem like a nice guy…"

"Who took advantage of you," he grimly reminded her.

"No, I'M the one who took advantage of you," she said firmly.

"But I should have-" he began but she cut him off.

"Enough!" She laughed. "We're not going to argue about who was the bigger jerk! Can we just start over Mr. Hoshigaki?"

He considered that for a minute. She looked up at him with hope in her eyes. He could tell that she was ready to put the past behind her. And as long as she didn't hold a grudge then…perhaps he should follow suit. He nodded as he held out a hand. "Yes, we can."

She giggled softly and rolled her eyes. "Your promise is enough. Don't make it awkward with a solemn handshake."

He chuckled at that. "Fair enough." He felt like a weight had been taken from off his shoulders. She didn't hate him or despise him, even though she had every reason in the world to. She was willing to give him another chance and he wondered why. Then he remembered what she said once said: _why don't we just chalk it up to being drunk and try to put this behind us? At least for the sake of our friends._ That made him frown. "I hope you didn't force yourself to make amends for the sake of Itachi and Shizako."

She snorted in derision. "I didn't do it for them. I love Shizako like a sister but Itachi isn't my brother yet. Their business is their own."

"Then why make peace with me?"

"Does it bother you?" She challenged.

"That wasn't an answer."

"Stupid questions deserve stupid answers," she teased. "I made amends because I wanted to. It's as simple as that."

He wasn't sure how to take that answer and just gazed at her for a moment longer. She blushed slightly at his scrutiny, unaware of how adorable it made her look to him. She turned away and lowered her gaze. She wasn't being entirely truthful; her reasons for the truce weren't just because she felt like it. She had to know if the attraction that night was genuine or drunken nonsense. That kiss which created a spark, his taste that left her craving more, and his touch that soothed her soul…it was like nothing she'd never known before. She wouldn't go so far as to call it love, but it was something akin to it. For someone as starving for love and acceptance as she was…she wasn't willing to walk away from this until she understood it. Even now she felt drawn to him, as ridiculous as it sounded.

She knew that the smart thing to do would be to quit the job. Surely this would be nothing short of a disaster. He was too old for her. So even if those feelings were genuine; he'd want a real woman, not some chick.

He saw her tense. "Hey, you ok?" He asked as he rested a hand on her shoulder.

His touch made her flinch. "Yeah. Yeah I'm just fine." She forced a smile which made him frown. He hated that kind of falsehood.

Just then an employee came by to ask his help with some customer service issue. He left Ritsuko in the care of another, an employee named Suzume. She was a little on the nerdy side but seemed nice enough. "You're gonna like working here," she smiled, flashing her braces. "The employers are really nice though you'll find that some of the customers are a bit grabby."

Just then Ritsuko saw some womanizer slap a waitress on the butt. The girl squeaked in surprise and in a flash Kisame was right there. He loomed overhead with a murderous look in his eyes. An aura of deadly power seemed to surround him as he grabbed hold of the punk's shirt and wrenched him to his feet. "Apologize or get out," he growled threatening. The guy squeaked out an apology and Kisame released him, letting him fall back into his chair. "That's better," he said and then turned towards the girl. "Are you alright?" He said kindly, suddenly the very model of a gentle giant. She nodded and he patted her shoulder reassuringly and went to attend to other business.

Ritsuko blinked in surprise and Suzume giggled. "Yeah Mr. Hoshigaki can be pretty darn terrifying sometimes but he's usually nice."

"As long as you stay on his good side," another waitress winked as she handed them another order.

The rest of the night went pretty well as Ritsuko tried hard to remember everything. "It's alright," Suzume reassured her when she mixed up an order. "No one expects you to be perfect on the first night."

Suzume was right. It took Ritsuko a month before she got the hang of it. She worked hard to be efficient and quick. As Assistant Manager, Kisame remained close by her side, guiding and prompting when needed. He enjoyed the times when they worked side by side. They made a great team, often finishing what the other started with flawless work. Sometimes during the slow periods they'd talk. He enjoyed her wit and playful banter though he wouldn't go as far as to call it flirting. There were moments though, like once she reached for something over his shoulder and leaned in ever so slightly. That light brush against his chest sent a thrill down his spine. Then she'd meet his gaze and blush as she drew back with an apology. It was moments like that that tempted him to pull her into his arms and kiss those soft lips again. But he would harden his heart and hold back his feelings. He couldn't let her see how much he longed for her.

Itachi did not approve when he told him that she'd been hired. "You should find a reason to fire her."

Kisame frowned at him. "Why? She's a great employee."

"Does she like working under you?" Itachi asked pointedly.

Kisame reddened. "You could have found a better way to phrase that."

"I'd imagine that it would be awkward for her, given what happened between you two," he continued on, seemingly oblivious to the double meaning. "It would be best to avoid her as much as possible."

Kisame didn't listen though. He craved the singular moments he spent with her at work. It gave him a unique opportunity to see how warm and friendly she could be when it came to serving the customers. She was courtesy itself and it was a gentler side than he was used to seeing. He once teased her about it. "It's too bad you're not this sweet all the time." She stuck her tongue out at him and then giggled. It was a light, merry sound that made her absolutely adorable. He loved to hear it and it was a shame that she didn't more often.

Ritsuko liked working at the Espresso Express. She liked working with the other waitresses and serving the regulars (what they called loyal customers). After two months she had even amassed a small gathering of "fans" so to speak. There was boisterous Hajime who would call out from across the room, "Ritsuko, oh love of my heart, goddess divine, etc" and continue prosing on and on until his usual order was completed. The joke being that it was a race between the two; how fast she could prepare his favorite and how long he could ramble on romantically before she set the frappuccino down before him. Then he'd smirk with a wink and spend the rest of his time in silence. Then there was this shy sophomore who went by the nickname Yuki because his wispy hair was pure as snow. His skin was pale but his eyes were the brightest shade of cerulean. He said very little but his wide eyes seemed to internalize so much. He would wear a soft hint of a smile whenever she served him. Then there was wealthy Juro who left her the biggest tips, Koichi the Linguist who loved her "accent" and often invited her to sit down for a few minutes just so he listen to her talk with avid fascination, and finally there was Raiden who stubbornly refused to be served by anyone else. "She doesn't screw up my order like the others," he once said about it.

But secretly the best part of working there was seeing Kisame. She relished the moments she spent with him. He was funny and had a devilish sense of humor that would have made Shizako blush with shame. She had a feeling that he must have been a monster as a child. Sadly she couldn't detect any romantic inclination from him, and had resigned herself that it probably would become nothing more. That disappointed her but it only made sense. She was too young for him.

Meanwhile graduation was fast approaching. Shizako was excited that her extended family would be coming from out of town to attend the ceremony. There were so many relatives coming that her parents were going to throw a big party to celebrate. It sounded like fun in theory but as Ritsuko watched their meticulous preparations she was grateful to be spared the ordeal. She had been invited but she knew what Shizako's parents thought of her and her "rebellious ways." Let Shizako have her moment. Besides graduation wasn't a milestone in her opinion; it was her ticket to freedom. Already she had saved up enough for her own apartment and was ready to spend graduation day moving in. And after the long and boring ceremony she did just that. Niigata was in one of her moods again, fuming that Ritsuko was determined to waste her special day but it went in one ear and out the other. Since she was moving by herself, it took most of the day to pack things up, haul things out of Niigata's house and over to her new apartment which was closer to campus. By the end she felt a little worn out. Then randomly there was a knock at the door and she was surprised to see Kisame.

"What are you doing here?" She cried out.

He flinched as he hesitated. "Would you rather I leave?"

"No! No! Please come in," she said as she stood aside to let him enter. "It's just that I wasn't expecting anyone to stop by."

He looked around casually. "Seems like a nice enough place. When's the furniture arriving?"

She blushed as she adjusted her fishnet glove. "I don't have any just yet. I will get some with my next paycheck though."

He stared at her. "So you have an apartment but NO furniture?" He asked incredulously.

"I do too!" She snapped defensively. "I have a bed, a dresser, a lamp, my clothes…"

"A lot of good it does you to basically move your bedroom into another place." He huffed sarcastically.

"I don't have to have it all at first," she said as she folded her arms defiantly across her chest. "Besides, how did you know where to find me anyway?"

"I went with Itachi to Shizako's party. I thought that you'd be there."

"You were…looking for me?" She asked softly.

He fidgeted slightly but his expression was gentle. "Yeah. I wanted to congratulate you."

She smirked gently. "You could have said so at work."

"I don't mean as your Assistant Manager…but as your friend."

She blinked in surprise. "A…friend?"

He nodded. She didn't know what to think of that. On the one hand it thrilled her, to think that they were friends…but being friends also limited the relationship too. It pretty much ruined any chance she had of ever being his girl. She smiled gently. "Thanks."

To add to her surprise he pulled a small box out of his coat. "I brought you this too."

"Really?" She asked in a hushed tone. She wasn't sure what to make of his generosity.

"Yeah," he said as he set it down on the countertop. "But now I'm beginning to think that it won't be enough." He murmured as he looked over her empty apartment. "You deserve better."

"I don't need your charity!" She growled.

"Its not charity, you idiot," he teased as he took her hand and pulled her out the door. "It's gonna be nothing short than the celebration you deserve."


	10. Chapter 10: The Stalker

Right before taking her to an arcade with laser tag and other games, they went to grab a bite to eat in a restaurant. It was nothing fancy but better than fast food for sure. As they were looking through the menus, he noticed hers trembled as she held it tightly with clenched fists. Her eyes narrowed angrily at something across the room. In a darkened part of the restaurant sat Kankuro and his girlfriend. She sat on his lap as they kissed. Unknown to her but he was smirking at Ritsuko the whole time. Ritsuko's blood boiled to see her press into him as his hand ran along her spine. He slipped his fingertips down the back of her mini skirt. His dark eyes taunted her, mocked her, daring her to remember their kisses and caresses in the dark.

Kisame frowned. "What a jerk," he growled under his breath.

He was more than a jerk, he was being sadistic. He was purposely teasing her by showing off what she no longer had. She was still single, he had someone. He was the winner here. Her humiliation at the party was fresh in her mind and she was determined to not be shamed again. To Kisame's surprise she grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. He couldn't believe she did that. She kissed him with those lips he'd been dreaming of ever since that night…only they tasted even sweeter than he had remembered. "Forgive me," she whispered against his lips. "I just want to make my ex jealous."

It hurt that she was just using him…but he understood. Then he chuckled as he realized the rare opportunity he was suddenly presented with. "If you _really_ want to make him jealous, you're gonna have to kick it up a notch."

She pulled back slightly with horror. "Wait, what-?" He lifted her up and pinned her onto the table. She turned bright red as she struggled slightly. "Have you lost your mind?!" She hissed.

"This'll work, trust me," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. She stiffened at first and he knew that she would kill him for this later. But for now he intended to live his fantasy. He made her red lips swell as he hungrily tasted them. Again he detected a hint of cinnamon, her tantalizing scent. He felt a surge of pride as her chest rose against his own. Her heart pounded against his chest. Surely it beat against his own racing heart as it swelled with emotion. He loved this defiant and stubborn girl. He knew that now…just as he knew that he would never have her. She didn't love him back.

Ritsuko's cheeks softened to a rosy glow as she closed her eyes. To have his body against hers as he leaned in between her legs…felt better than it should. His scent enveloped her senses, threatening to intoxicate her once again. She groaned as she opened her mouth, beckoning him with her tongue to enter. His slid inside and intertwined with hers. Again his rich salty taste covered her own. Her heart raced as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Later she would regret this but right now she savored it. Though it wasn't meant to be, in this moment he was her man and she was his girl.

Just then they heard a fist slam into a wall. They turned their heads to see Kankuro storming away with a face like thunder. The barbie hurried after him as fast as she could go in her stiletto heels. "Baby? What's wrong?"

"I've suddenly lost my appetite," he growled angrily as he slammed the front door on her.

Ritsuko and Kisame laughed. Just then a waiter came by with a modest blush and downcast eyes. "Excuse me sir…"

Kisame stood up and looked off into the distance as he silently made a cut gesture across his throat. Then he smiled down at the confused waiter. "Sorry about that but we're actors in an independent film called Sweet Revenge."

The waiter blinked in surprise. "A movie?"

He nodded as he helped Ritsuko off the table. "Unfortunately the budget was too small to afford many extras so we hoped to capture the genuine reaction our scene caused. We're terribly sorry to have inconvenienced you but your restaurant was highly recommended because of its excellent décor, dining, and customer service."

The waiter then beamed. "Oh most certainly sir! Do you need to run through the scene again?

"No, no!" Ritsuko protested, still quite pink as she realized that everyone was staring at them now. "Once was enough."

"Very well," the waiter nodded as he pulled out his notebook. "Are you ready to order?"

They did so and he left with a slight skip to his step. Ritsuko covered her face in her hands as she tried to calm down. "I can't _believe_ you just did that."

"You started it," he gently teased. "And besides it worked, didn't it?"

She giggled softly as she looked up at him, a faint blush still on her cheeks. "Yeah, like a charm. And even more impressive you got that waiter off our backs too."

He wore a soft smile as he tried to gage her reaction. She didn't seem angry or upset…but she was having a hard time looking him in the eye, which hurt. "Ritsuko I'm sorry if I-"

She waved her hands to silence him. "No, it's my fault. I was being an idiot. I shouldn't have let Kankuro rile me up like that."

Kisame frowned. He didn't like the idea of her regretting the kiss. Surely…ALL of it hadn't just been an act. But then the food arrived and she focused on eating instead. He reluctantly changed the subject and soon she started to smile again. The rest of the night went well and while he had hoped that more would have followed the kiss, he was just grateful that it didn't ruin the night altogether.

It was around midnight by the time Kisame dropped Ritsuko off at her apartment. "Thanks for the great night," she smiled warmly. "I had a lot of fun."

He cracked a side smile and nodded. "Me too." He so desperately wanted to add "we should do this more often" but that would have made the night sound more like a date…which it wasn't. He was afraid of scaring her by coming on too strong, after all the kiss had been more than satisfying…even if it was just to make Kankuro jealous. They said their simple goodbyes at the door and once she locked the door behind her, she slid down to sit and held her head in her hands. The memory of the kiss still lingered and she could still taste him on her lips. She was determined to never forget it…since it would never happen again. Her heart ached but she knew that reality distanced them in immeasurable ways. The age gap between them was too large. They were in different stages of life; he was on the tail end of his education and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to go to college. And of course there was that disastrous first night. Surely nothing good could start with a drunken one night stand.

She pushed herself up to her feet and switched on the light. Kisame was right; it was rather depressing to come back to a nearly empty apartment. Oh well, it'll be furnished soon enough. The bareness just made Kisame's present on the counter stand out all the more. She blinked in surprise since she'd forgotten all about it. She approached and gently shook the package near her ear. It didn't make a sound and felt light in her hands. Curious, she tore off the red paper and pulled out a perfume bottle. Perfume? That's a strange gift. She sprayed some on her wrist and sniffed delicately. Cinnamon. She smiled. Her favorite scent. But…how did he know that?

She wore it every day after that, especially when she realized that he was noticing. He'd wear a secret smile and wink which made her heart race. Now she was working full time at the Espresso Express. Her larger paycheck, combined with an unexpected bonus, helped pay for the rest of her furniture. Once it was fully furnished she felt comfortable inviting Shizako over to visit. Sometimes they'd have sleep-overs just like they did when they were kids.

"So when is Itachi gonna ask you to move in with him?" Ritsuko teased.

Shizako blushed. "Well he can hardly do that when he still lives at home with his parents."

"Boo!" Ritsuko jeered. "How does he hope to marry you if he doesn't move away from home first?"

Shizako blushed a deep crimson. "Who said he's going to marry me?"

"Because you're the sweetest, nicest girl ever and not to mention drop dead sexy," Ritsuko grinned as she playfully tweaked her nose. Shizako smiled shyly as she played with the end of her ponytail. "C'mon admit that you want to become the next Mrs. Uchiha," Ritsuko gently elbowed her side.

"Alright, fine!" Shizako said in exasperation. "But I'm nothing like his family. They're so elegant and refined."

"Not all of them are," Ritsuko giggled as she sipped some Mountain Dew. "Little Sasuke sure runs with the wrong crowd."

She sighed. "I know…and it just puts more pressure on Itachi to excel for the sake of the family business."

"Which makes no sense," Ritsuko huffed as she stood up. "How can you solve the problems of one child by focusing on the other?"

"You've got me," Shizako shrugged. "Hey, by the way, can you get me some more soda?"

"Sure thing," Ritsuko said as she took her glass. She refilled their drinks and returned to the living room where Shizako was putting in another movie. "Oh I wanted to show you something I got the other day," Ritsuko said as she set the glasses down. "I bought an awesome shirt at Hot Topic." She turned to go down the hallway and went into her room. She pulled open the drawer and searched through it. Strange…it wasn't there. She could have sworn that she'd just put it in today. Maybe it was still in her dirty clothes basket? Nope. Shizako poked her head into the room as Ritsuko looked through her closet.

"Something wrong?"

"I just don't get it." Ritsuko said as she sat back onto her bed. "I can't find that shirt anywhere."

Shizako blinked in surprise. "Maybe you lent it to someone?"

She shook her head. "No, I just barely bought it like three days ago. Oh well, I'll look for it again later. Let's go watch that movie."

But she never did find it again. And in fact over the next few weeks things continued to go missing. No matter how careful she was, things were disappearing. It was unsettling. Kisame was surprised one day when she came in early to work to ask for a replacement tie. "You lost yours?" He asked as he looked through the stock cupboard to find a new one.

She scowled. "I didn't lose it. It just wasn't where I left it last."

"Meaning that you lost it," he chuckled as he handed one to her. She glared at him but he saw the worry in her eyes. "Is something wrong?" He asked softly.

"I just don't get it," she murmured as she tied it around her neck. "I never lose things and now I'm loosing things left and right."

He felt bad for her but was worried as well. He'd never seen her like this. "Why don't we hang out tonight huh?" He asked. "Let's go have some fun."

She smiled at that and nodded. "Yeah…I could use a distraction."

"Just one of the many things I excel at," he smirked deviously as he leaned in closer and nibbled on her ear. He just couldn't resist.

She giggled and gently pushed him back. She turned to see Hajime and Yuki staring at her. "Oh hey guys!" She smiled as she turned towards them.

Yuki blinked wide-eyed and Hajime opened and closed his mouth uselessly. She went to get their usual orders and brought it to their table. "Why so quiet Hajime? No flattery today? I'm almost insulted." She winked.

"No it's just that…well I…I didn't know that you had a boyfriend." He squeaked.

She blinked in surprise. "I don't."

"You…and M-Mr. Hoshigaki seem close," Yuki whispered softly. She'd never heard him speak any louder than that.

"Oh him?" She blushed faintly. "No, he's just a good friend."

"Well that's great news," Hajime grinned as he ran a hand through his tousled brown hair. "How about you and me Friday night?"

She smiled sweetly. "Thanks but I've already got plans with a friend that night."

His smile faltered. "What about next Friday?"

She shook her head wryly. "Persistent, aren't you?"

He smirked. "I don't give up easily."

"Miss Ryoku has other business to attend to," Kisame said tersely behind her as he narrowed his eyes at Hajime.

"Quite the protective friend you've got there," Hajime said wryly as he raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Over-reacting is more like it," Ritsuko smirked as she walked away. But he was right; she had other customers to serve. That night after work she called him out on it. "You're not my Dad, you know. I don't need you to help me reject boys."

He scowled. "I wasn't. I was just reminding you of work that had to be done."

She snorted in derision. "Oh yeah right. I don't buy it for a second. Anyway, forget about it. You're supposed to distract me remember?"

He smirked and nodded. That night he took her to see the latest action film with some Marvel Superhero. They had a great time and picked up some ice cream along the way home. Once inside her apartment she went to hang up her coat in the closet when something slipped down from the shelf. She frowned as she reached out for it. It was a short-handled bondage whip. She just stared at it. That was really weird. Perhaps the last tenant was into things like that so she threw it away without a second thought.

But it didn't end there. Other things started appearing: lingerie and other sex toys tucked in here and there throughout the apartment. She informed her landlord and demanded that the locks be changed. And they immediately were…but it didn't stop things from turning up. She was beginning to lose sleep over it, tossing and turning throughout the night. And whenever she started to drift off, she thought she felt something graze across her chest or along the inside of her thigh and she'd wake up screaming. But nothing was there…she was all alone. At that point she would have asked Shizako if she could stay with her for a while, but she was away on a family vacation. So she started to hang out with Kisame even more after work, desperate to delay returning to her apartment. He sensed that something was wrong but could never get her to open up about it. What would she say to him anyway? He'd think she was crazy.

She tried to convince herself that it was just some kinky stuff left over from the last tenant and had just about succeeded. That is…until the night she returned home late and found a shattered picture frame in her bedroom, lying face down. She picked it up and turned it over to see Kisame's face scratched out with thick red ink…at least she hoped it was ink but her nose crinkled at the terrible smell. It sent a cold chill down her spine. Who had done this? Then she looked up and screamed. The mirror above her dresser was shattered and written in the same thick, dripping ink were the words: "You're mine."

She pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial for Kisame. He promptly answered. "Hey, what's up?"

From the shards of glass she saw the split image of her closet door slowly slide open. "Kisame please! I need your help I-"

In a flash a masked man, clad in leather, charged at her with an aggressive growl. She screamed as he slammed her into the ground and snapped her wrist to make her drop the phone. It clattered out of her reach and she heard Kisame cry out frantically. "Ritsuko? You still there? Who was that screaming? Suko answer me!"


	11. Chapter 11: Hero to the Rescue

Kisame heard the scuffle as Ritsuko scrambled to retrieve the phone. "Suko!" He cried out.

"G-Get help!" She choked out. Then he heard a sickening crack followed by silence.

"SUKO!" He screamed into the phone but then the call disconnected. He immediately turned the car around, flipping a U-Turn in the middle of an intersection. Cars screeched to a stop as they slammed on their brakes. Angry shouts mingled with beeping horns. His car nearly rolled with the momentum but he didn't let up on the gas. Ritsuko was in danger and his adrenaline ran wild. He quickly called Itachi. "Send the police go to Ritsuko's apartment!"

"What? Why? What's going on?" He murmured sleepily. Kisame must have woken him up.

"Someone broke in," he said through gritted teeth. He was having a hard time keeping his anger and panic in check. "She called me for help when she was suddenly attacked. I'm on my way there right now."

Itachi was silent for a moment. "Should I call for an ambulance too?"

"Good idea," Kisame smirked. "Because if she doesn't need it, I'll _personally_ see to it that the other guy does."

"Be careful," Itachi warned just before he hung up.

_Please be safe Suko_, Kisame thought desperately as he sped up past the speed limit.

* * *

Ritsuko groaned softly as she regained consciousness. Her head was splitting, her mind felt heavy and fuzzy and when she opened her eyes, she realized that she was blind-folded. Her body tensed with panic, her heart still raced as she had the feeling that something was wrong…but…she couldn't remember what. She was lying in bed and tried to get up but something tugged at her wrists and ankles. After struggling a little she realized with horror that she was handcuffed to the headboard and her ankles were tied to the sides of the bed, forcing her legs wide open. Thankfully she wasn't gagged. "Help! Someone please! Help me!"

Then she heard the door swing open slowly and deliberately. The heavy sound of footsteps seemed to echo as someone entered the room. Then the door locked with a loud click.

"W-Who are you?" She stammered, convinced that it wasn't someone coming to her rescue.

"We were meant to be…y-you and me," a whispery soft male voice sounded. Boots squeaked as he approached.

She felt panicky as she recalled painful memories of soothing tones followed by penetrating pain. She couldn't go through that again. Anything but that! She couldn't live with that stain on her soul again. "Take whatever you want, take it all! But don't touch me!"

The bed creaked and shifted as he climbed on. She struggled against the bonds and flinched as his fingertips ran along the inside of her thighs. "You've been unfaithful," he continued in his gentle tone. "You belong to me…remember?"

There was something strangely familiar about that voice but in her blind-panic she couldn't think straight. She shook her head firmly. "No I don't! Stay away from me!" She screamed. "Someone help!"

Then she coughed as a gag was forced into her mouth. "Hush my angel…d-don't speak." He stuttered slightly.

Then she gasped as he stroked her clit, just stimulating the outside before moving up along her flat stomach. She was more sensitive as a result of being deprived of her sight. His touch seemed to penetrate her skin. She trembled as a pair of hands cupped her breasts. His lips gently ran along them, teasing and tantalizing. She screamed against the gag, the sound muffled through the cloth. She strained against the bounds until they cut into her skin. This was just like her childhood, once again being powerless in the hands of another. She had worked so hard and long to forget that part of her life, to rise above that humiliation, and now the nightmare returned in full force. Tears trickled down from the blindfold as she knew that the worst was yet to come. "Oh my love…" he whispered as he licked away her tears. "T-This is no time for tears."

Suddenly the window shattered as Kisame broke through it, spraying shards of glass everywhere. The intruder looked up in surprise, his cerulean eyes widened in horror just before Kisame's fist struck him in the face. He flew back against the closet door, making it crack. Kisame grabbed hold of the leather straps across his chest and punched him in the face over and over, effectively breaking his nose and bloodying his face. Then he heard Ritsuko scream through the gag and he quickly let go. Revenge would have to wait. He let go and the pervert crumbled to the floor, whimpering like a baby as he clutched at his bloody nose.

Kisame hurried to her side and quickly unlatched the cuffs. "It's alright Suko, I'm here," he reassured her as he pulled her into a tight hug. The fact that she was naked barely registered. He was just relieved that he had come in time to save her. He had to hold her close to prove that she was safe now. She clung to him with trembling hands and cried hard into his shirt. She shook like a leaf in his arms. "It's going to be ok, I'm here now. Everything is gonna be alright," he said soothingly.

Just then the police arrived along with Itachi. He reddened modestly to see her bare backside as Kisame held her tightly and discreetly draped a blanket around her shoulders to cover her up. He gazed down at her with a devastated look. It felt so surreal. This was the sort of thing you read about in the newspapers happening to some girl somewhere else…never in your own town…not to someone you actually know. It left a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. At least they'd gotten here in time, before she'd been killed. The police hand-cuffed the pervert and wrenched him to his feet. He panicked at the sight of Ritsuko in Kisame's arms. "No don't leave her with him!" He protested. "N-No! He'll turn her against me!"

Kisame glared fiercely at him as a growl sounded in his throat. Ritsuko yelped fearfully so he quickly settled down and rubbed her back. "It's alright," he repeated softly. "I'm here."

Two officers dragged the pervert away while the rest surveyed the crime scene. A nurse carefully approached the two. "Miss Ryoku? I'm sorry for what happened, my dear," the lady said sympathetically as she sat beside them. "But you're safe now. If you'll come with me to the hospital-"

"No!" Ritsuko cried out as she clung tightly to Kisame. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Kisame looked down at the nurse. "Can I come with her?" He asked quietly.

She nodded. "It might be for the best. She could really use some emotional support. Perhaps we can contact her parents and-"

"She has no parents, only a foster mother," Kisame explained. "And they are not on good terms."

"I see," she said sadly. "Very well, let's get her to the hospital."

Kisame carried her in his arms, keeping the blanket wrapped around her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sniffling softly still. He absent-mindedly kissed her forehead. "I'm so glad that you're alright." He said with relief.

Alright? Far from it. She felt violated, disgusting, and dirty but she knew what he'd meant. At least she was still alive. Once at the hospital the medical staff carefully and delicately examined her. DNA samples were extracted from her skin since no semen was present. She was then allowed to shower and given a change of clothes. Afterward an investigating detective came to collect an official report. Kisame was allowed in to provide emotional support. He took her hand and reassuringly squeezed it. She wore a small grateful smile and then answered their questions as well as explained what had happened. Kisame was shocked to hear about the items that had been turning up in her apartment. Why didn't she tell him about it? Why didn't she tell _anyone_ about it? Still the detective didn't find that unusual. "Some stalkers have been known to leave "reminders" in the homes of their victims. In their minds it's proof of a connection."

She lowered her gaze. "He said that we were meant to be…and that I was unfaithful."

"Did you know your attacker?" She delicately asked.

Ritsuko frowned for a moment. That whispery soft voice sounded familiar…but it didn't make any sense so she shook her head. "I'm not really sure."

"Do you?" The detective turned towards Kisame.

He blinked in surprise. "Should I?"

"At the scene was a photo of you scratched out with blood. And he was quoted as saying, 'No don't leave her with him. No, he'll turn her against me.'"

Kisame bristled. "Are you saying that this is MY fault?!"

"No, no, of course not," she reassured him. "It's just that it may have been a motive. He felt threatened by your association and attempted to gain control of the situation."

Other questions were asked but Ritsuko was fast running out of energy. She was exhausted and emotionally drained. The detective was sensitive to that and quickly wrapped it up. "You can't return home until the police have finished their investigation. Do you have a place to stay in the meantime?"

Ritsuko grimaced as she dreaded the possibility of returning to Niigata's. "She can stay with me," Kisame quickly offered.

Ritsuko blushed but nodded. Once she was discharged from the hospital, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they walked outside. She was strangely silent and subdued as she got into his car and they drove off. He didn't know what to say either. His heart still raced at the memory of Ritsuko chained down as she struggled hard to break free. Meanwhile the pervert was poised to penetrate her…He shuddered. It would take some time for that image to go away. Meanwhile Ritsuko rested her head against the window pane and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

This was just like last time…when the abuse had finally come to light. After the hospital she had been taken away to be placed into the foster care system. In spite of all that she'd been through, the thought of leaving home forever terrified her. She was young, too young to understand what had happened, and she wondered if she had been the one who'd done wrong. If not, then why was she being sent away? It didn't make sense to her. Then she had screamed and cried, begging the police to bring her home. She pleaded with them and promised to behave. It reduced one of them to tears. "We're not doing this to punish you but to protect you. You're going to a better place," he'd promised.

He was partially right. No place had ever been as bad as home, but none of the places she'd stayed at ever felt like home to her. Just more of a temporary living situation. Until she met Shizako who'd been the first person she'd ever been accepted by and loved in spite of her dark past. Only Shizako knew the truth…oh what would she say if she knew what'd just happened? How the nightmare had started all over again. She heaved a sigh as her expression crumpled. How could this be happening to her? Just when things were starting to go so well?

To her surprise Kisame pulled the car over to the side of the road. "What are you doing?" She asked worriedly. Then she gasped as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. "Oh Suko…" he murmured. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you."

She stiffened as she felt something wet drip on her shoulder. Was he…crying? "Kisame?"

He silently held her as he sniffled softly, finally giving release to the built up hysteria he'd been unable to let go of until now. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on? I could have protected you…kept you safe…"

She was tempted to ask how he could have gone about doing that but she knew what he meant. He was just trying to be a good friend and friends look out for one another. She hugged him back. "You saved my life." Her voice cracked with gratitude. "Thank you."

For a long time they just held each other and she felt the hurt inside start to fade in the warmth of his comforting embrace. "Thank you," she repeated.

He pulled away with a gentle smirk. "I'll always come to your rescue."

She giggled softly at that. "Like my own personal knight in shining armor huh?"

"More or less," he winked and carefully steered the car back into the road. Once they arrived at his apartment, his cat mewed loudly. She wasn't used to her master being away from home for so long. Her ears perked up at the sight of Ritsuko. It had been a long time since he'd brought home a guest.

"Aww, you have a cat?" Ritsuko cooed as she knelt down to look at her.

"Her name is Chie."

"Hey there pretty girl," she cooed as she held out her hand.

She curiously sniffed her hand and Ritsuko gently scratched behind her ears. Thoroughly pleased Chie purred loudly and rubbed against her. Kisame went to refill her food and water. Now it was close to three o'clock in the morning. "You should get some sleep, use my bed," he offered. "Let me see if I can find any pajamas that might fit you."

Ritsuko went back to petting Chie as she looked around. She'd never seen Kisame's apartment before…no matter how many times he'd been to hers. There just…never seemed to be a reason to come here. It was simply furnished and not as messy as she'd expected a bachelor's place to be. Then again Kisame was older; perhaps he was more practical than he looked. He returned with a pair. "They're gonna be big," he warned her. That didn't surprise her; after all he was much taller and broader than her. She went into the bathroom to change. The shirt went down mid-thigh but the pants were way too large so she went without. She walked into his room to find him making the bed. He had already changed for the night, wearing pants without a shirt.

"Where will you sleep?" She asked softly.

"On the couch, though Chie might be in here with you, she's used to sleeping on the bed."

She nodded silently as she nervously rung her hands as she felt panicky and embarrassed. "Kisame?'

"Yes?" he said as he turned to face her.

"Could you…that is would you…uh…" her face went red and she shook her head. "Never mind, forget it."

"What is it?" He asked as he approached her. "Please tell me."

She looked up at him with child-like embarrassment. "I…don't want to sleep alone. I'm…I'm scared," her voice was barely audible by the end.

He smiled softly, knowing just how hard it was for her to admit weakness. She was always so rough and tough, scared of nothing and no one. "Would you like me to hold you until you drift off to sleep?" He offered.

She blushed and nodded. "I know I'm being ridiculous," she cursed herself.

"Not at all, it makes sense," he reassured her as he pulled her in for another hug. He couldn't help himself, it still scared him just how close he'd come to losing her. "I'm here for you Ritsuko. I want to help."

So with the lights off they climbed into bed together. In her mind it was a good thing that he wasn't attracted to her or this would be really awkward. As it was, she greatly enjoyed the feeling of his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. His musky scent, the gentle rise and fall of his chest against her back, his breath in her ear…warmed her heart. It hurt a little that she was only his friend; still she was very grateful to him. Kisame meanwhile enjoyed it more than he should have. To have her in his bed thrilled him, excited him, and he fought hard to keep his hormones in check. There was NO WAY he was going to take advantage of her again, especially after what she'd just been through. Besides he only had to do this until she fell asleep, then he could leave. But he had underestimated how exhausted he was combined with how soothing it felt to hold her close beneath the sheets and soon drifted off to sleep himself.


	12. Chapter 12: Life Sucks

Ritsuko was surprised to find Kisame still by her side the next morning. She lay on her back and he was on his side, his arm draped across her shoulders in a side hug. His face was buried in her neck. Normally she would have been worried but she trusted Kisame. She knew that he wouldn't touch her like that again. She smiled softly as she cautiously reached up to run her fingers through his navy hair. It was softer than it looked. He stirred slightly. "Mmm Suko…" he groaned and his lips tickled her neck.

She giggled. "At least this time you didn't call me Kaneko."

"Hmm what?" He mumbled thickly as he blinked sleepily at her. Then when his eyes focused they widened in horror. "Oh! I'm sorry! I meant to leave during the night but-"

She laughed. "Don't worry about it. Though maybe I should punch you again for good measure."

He chuckled as he got the joke. "You sure do pack a whallop for such a little girl." He teased back.

Her smile faltered at that. She knew that he meant it as a compliment, but she thought that it meant that he only thought of her as a child. She turned away and hugged the pillow close. She loved him, the stupid idiot that she was, she loved him. And he just thought she was a little girl who needed to be rescued. _Will love always be beyond my reach?_ She thought as she bit her lip to keep from crying.

Kisame's smile faded as he saw her begin to retreat within herself. It always worried him whenever she did that. He'd much prefer to see her smile. He leaned in closer, unintentionally pressing against her back, and rested his large hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about it," she shrugged him off and climbed out of bed. "I'm gonna use the shower first."

He watched after her with a frown. He didn't like it when she refused to talk but it wasn't his place to pry. Especially now. "You know that I'm here for you right?"

His words made her pause at the doorway as it reminded her of her best friend. "I'm going to call Shizako today. She should be back from vacation soon. Maybe I can stay with her. I wouldn't want to impose here."

"Now wait a minute, that's not true!" He protested as he climbed out of bed. "You're welcome to stay as long as you ne-."

She cut him off by closing the door firmly behind her. She didn't want to hear it. Not then anyway. She was having a hard time controlling her emotions and didn't want to blurt something hurtful out when she didn't really mean it. So she went to the bathroom to take a shower. Her clothes from the hospital were still discarded on the floor and she pulled them back on. Today she ought to see if she can get her clothes back. With any luck she could move back today. Surely the police were done searching through her tiny apartment for evidence. When she came out, Chie mewed at her feet and rubbed against her legs with a happy purr. "Aww, you're so cute," Ritsuko said as she knelt down to pet her. "I should think about getting a cat too. I'd forgotten how much I like them."

Chie rested her paws on her knees and licked her face, making her giggle. She caught her furry face in her hands and gave her a big kiss. Kisame then came out of the bedroom dressed in his uniform. Her face fell. "Oh that's right. I'd completely forgotten about work. I should-"

"Stay here," he said as he passed her in the hallway. "I'll explain what happened to Mrs. Aomori though I imagine that it's all over the news by now." She blushed in shame as she realized that he was probably right. "I'm sure that she'll insist on some paid time off." He went into the kitchen to get some breakfast and Ritsuko followed after. He turned to look at her sadly. "I know that you're very close with Shizako and that you'd much prefer her company to mine. But please don't feel like I'm trying to get rid of you."

She fidgeted slightly. "Yeah…I know."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. Please don't rush on my account."

"Thanks," she whispered gratefully.

He spread his arms out. "You're welcome to eat anything you like. I'll be back right after work."

"You do what you want and I may or may not be here," she shrugged as she opened up a cupboard to look for something to eat.

"At least leave a note then," he growled softly. She was going to be stubborn about this, he just knew it. But he also knew that he'd have to keep his protective nature in check. Ritsuko was an adult and was free to go as she pleased.

At work he was surprised to find police doing an investigation there. In retrospect it made sense that they'd look into Ritsuko's whereabouts, especially if the pervert had been someone that she knew. Mrs. Aomori quickly approached him. "I heard about it on the news. Oh the poor dear! Is she alright? Is she safe?" He nodded and to his surprise she pulled his face down and kissed both of his cheeks. "God bless you for being her savior in her time of need!" He reddened slightly as he discreetly disengaged himself. "I just can't believe that Yuki was capable of such monstrosity."

He frowned. "Yuki? That quiet guy with white hair? What's he got to do with it?"

Just then the detective from last night approached him. "Excuse me Mr. Hoshigaki, but may I have a word with you?"

Kisame nodded. "Let's step into my office."

Once they were seated inside, she handed him a picture of Yuki. "Do you know this young man?"

Kisame took it with a shaky hand. The picture was a school photo of the poor kid with his signature scared look. "He's the stalker isn't he?" His voice cracked.

"Yes," she whispered. A heavy silence filled the room as this sank in for him. He just couldn't believe it. It was impossible. "According to school records he was seeing a psychologist for some mental illness. While he was generally considered mild-mannered, he was known to possess a morbid fascination with dominance. During the interrogation last night he claimed that she was his lover. He showed classic symptoms of extreme possessiveness, jealousy, obsession, as well as a deep hatred of you. He was convinced that you were attempting to steal her away from him. In his mind, Miss Ryoku belongs to him."

"I just can't believe it," he murmured as he handed the picture back. He couldn't stand to look at it anymore.

"Is there anything you can tell me? To shed more light on this?"

He sighed as he sat back in his swivel chair. "He was one of her regular customers, came by every day or two and ordered the same thing every time."

"Did they ever talk?"

"Most of the time she did, just a friendly meet and greet sort of routine, nothing very personal." It was hard to imagine such a mild-mannered guy snapping like that. "He didn't usually say very much."

"Did she ever complain about him making unwanted advances?"

He shook his head. "No, she never talked about him or saw him outside of work ever. It just doesn't make any sense."

"There's no point in trying to," she said sympathetically. "He isn't in his right mind but now he'll be getting the help that he needs."

Kisame's hand curled into a trembling fist. "He doesn't need help! He deserves to die!" He snapped. Then he caught himself. "I'm sorry Detective."

She nodded gently. "I know how you feel, it's very natural. There's only one thing more. It will be some time before Miss Ryoku will be allowed to return to her apartment. During the investigation, more objects were found."

He swallowed hard. "What…sort of objects?"

She grimaced, that wasn't a good sign. "I don't think you'd want to know." He felt faint as his stomach flip-flopped. "Are you able to keep an eye on her until they've finished?" He nodded silently, not trusting himself to speak. She reached into her purse and pulled out a check. "This should cover the damage to her property. If you need anything, please let us know."

He took the check and mumbled goodbye as she left. He was just in shock. Of anyone it could have been…he never would have suspected Yuki.

Ritsuko meanwhile remained oblivious because she intentionally didn't watch the news. She didn't want to be an audience to her own humiliation. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise to be staying in Kisame's place. At least she'd be spared a visit from Niigata. Either she'd be super consoling or irate about bringing "shame" on the family. Either way her reaction would be extreme. Instead she used his landline phone to call Shizako. She, at least, deserved an explanation.

As anticipated Shizako screamed at her for not telling her what had happened. "I shouldn't have to find out from the news!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry to make you worry," Ritsuko said contritely.

Shizako sighed and was silent for a moment. "No, you don't have to apologize. Oh Suko," her voice cracked with emotion. "I'm sorry you had to go through that again."

A lump formed in Ritsuko's throat. "Well…he didn't get that far. Kisame came to my rescue."

"Kisame? Really?" She asked in surprise. "That was lucky."

"Not really," she confessed. She explained what she'd returned home to find and how she'd called Kisame right away.

Shizako was silent for a moment. "Why…would you call him and not the police first?"

Oh that's right. She'd never told Shizako that they'd become friends. Mainly because she knew that she'd never understand why. After all, in her mind, Kisame had raped her. So she explained that they worked together and had become great friends. Shizako didn't sound very pleased but she tried to be understanding. After all she knew how hard it was for Ritsuko to make friends. If she said that Kisame was a friend, then she knew she could trust him. "Well…I'm happy for you then," she said sincerely. "As long as I'm still your favoritest friend." She giggled.

"You always will be," Ritsuko grinned in response. "You and me go way back."

"Yeah, all five years of it," Shizako laughed and Ritsuko laughed in response.

Then the mood sobered once again and Shizako spoke. "I won't be home until next week. You can call me whenever you need, night or day. But in the meantime, are you going to be alright? Are you staying with someone?"

"Yeah I am so don't worry about it," Ritsuko said vaguely. She didn't want to mention that she was staying at Kisame's place. She knew that Shizako would hit the roof if she knew.

Shizako noticed though. "Who are you staying with?"

"Oh crap I'm late!" Ritsuko faked panic. "Gotta go Shiza, I'll call you later."

She wasn't buying it and heard the Nara curse her out. "You liar! You're just-" CLICK

Ritsuko shook her head as the phone rang again. No doubt it was Shizako calling back. That was the only downside about friends, they ask too many questions. She grabbed a sweatshirt of Kisame's and pulled on a hat and walked outside. She walked by her apartment but found lots of police tape and reporters hanging around so she steered clear from that mess. What a pain. If only she'd had her wallet, then she could have bought some new clothes. So she just walked around and was dismayed to hear that she was the current gossip on campus. To her surprise she learned that Yuki had been her attacker. That revelation left her winded. He always seemed so nice and gentle. Since the general consensus on campus was that he was a nice shy guy, no one wanted to think badly of him. So it was concluded that she must have been a slut. It was probably just a job gone badly. She ran back to Kisame's apartment; she just had to get away from such cruel words. It hurt to be talked about like that, to be judged so harshly by people who didn't know what they were talking about. SHE had been the victim NOT him!

Once inside Kisame's apartment she threw herself onto his bed and cried into a pillow. She hated being so emotional but her heart ached with such pain. It combined with the past trauma she'd only managed to squash before. It had never been fully resolved, just ignored. She didn't hear Kisame enter the room so she was surprised when he pulled her into his arms and held her close. "Let it out Suko," he whispered. "Don't keep it inside."

She struggled against him. "I don't want your sympathy or your pity!" She snapped.

"I'm not giving you either," he said firmly. "Because you're a fighter. I know you'll find a way to get through this. But until you get there that's why I'm here." She blinked in surprise at his tender expression. He gently kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips against her skin. "I'm here," he whispered. "You don't have to face this alone."

She hugged him back and cried softly into his shirt. "I don't want to be alone anymore."

"You're not," he reassured her. "I'm here for you."

She smiled. "Thanks," she whispered.

For a while he was content to hold her, gently rocking her back and forth in his arms. He was beginning to realize that even she was weak sometimes. Then he continued on.  
"Shizako's there for you too. And by the way she's pretty pissed at both of us."

Ritsuko burst out laughing. "Yeah…that's my bad."

"Well go fix it before she gets Itachi on my case," he playfully shooed her away. "Then let's order some pizza for dinner. I don't feel like cooking tonight."


	13. Chapter 13: Stubborn Fools

Kisame was right about Shizako, she wasn't happy that Ritsuko was staying with him. So she asked Itachi to look into the situation to make sure that her friend was safe. Itachi was bothered by it too and surprised that Kisame would have even offered to take her in the first place. His friend wasn't nearly as sociable as he used to be, not since Kaneko's desertion. For him to take in a temporary roommate, especially a girl, was mind-blowing. So after classes one day he stopped by Kisame's apartment. He jumped slightly when Ritsuko answered the door. She didn't let him in at first. She just leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded across her chest and smirked. "Lemme guess. Shizako sent you."

He frowned. "So you already know that she doesn't approve."

"She's my best friend but that doesn't mean that I live by her approval," she giggled darkly. "But come in, Kisame's in the shower and should be out soon."

She went back to the living room to watch TV. Chie curled up on her lap and soon fell asleep. Itachi felt awkward just standing by the door so he followed after her and sat beside her. She was watching Fruits Basket, a Japanese cartoon show he'd heard Shizako mention once. He wasn't really into Japanese animation. It was too unrealistic for his taste.

"So how have you been?" He asked cautiously. And for good reason too, last time she answered that question by declaring that she wasn't pregnant. Thank goodness that turned out to be the case; a baby would have only made things worse.

To his surprise she grimaced slightly. "As well as can be expected, I guess," she mumbled.

"What's wrong?" He asked in concern.

"You mean beside the obvious?" She smirked gently and enjoyed seeing him blush. She shrugged and looked down. She didn't feel like being implicit with her best friend's boyfriend. Besides odds are he didn't approve of her staying here either. What would they think if they both knew that she loved Kisame? She loved him and it hurt that he didn't in turn. It was hard for her to keep things casual between them, especially last night when he offered to hold her to sleep again. She didn't really need him to but couldn't resist his offer. If she couldn't have him, this was the next best thing. At least this way she could pretend they were together. Still she felt a little guilty taking advantage of his kindness. Here he was trying to be nice and she just liked the excuse to sleep in his arms.

Itachi frowned curiously and just then Kisame stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped low around his waist. Ritsuko sneaked a glance from the corner of her eyes and smirked gently as her eyes lingered on his firm biceps and chiseled abs. He was pretty cut and allowed herself to day dream. Why not? After all he'd never know. Kisame blinked in surprise at Itachi. "Oh hey, what are you doing here?"

Itachi stood up and approached him. "I'd like a word with you in private," he whispered.

Kisame chuckled. "Shizako put you up to this huh?"

"And can you blame her given your past history?" Itachi glowered. He didn't like the implication that Shizako ordered him around. Far from it, he took her feelings to heart and only wished to set her nerves at rest.

Kisame scowled. "Fine, let's talk in my room."

Itachi sat at Kisame's desk and lowered his gaze modestly while Kisame dressed. "So did you come with a lecture or a warning?" Kisame asked sarcastically as he sat down on the bed.

Itachi glared. "Are you really so stupid? Why are you acting like this isn't a problem? You know that she can't stay here…that she SHOULDN'T stay here."

"For your information Ritsuko and I have gotten over that."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We've decided to put it behind us and to start over. In fact we've become really good friends." Itachi looked him over dubiously. Kisame narrowed his eyes shrewdly. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Then why does she look so sad?" Itachi gently challenged.

Kisame softened at that. "Given what she's just been through it only makes sense. She's been going through stages. Sometimes she cries and sometimes she laughs. Sometimes she's back to her old self and other times she retreats inside herself. It's going to take some time."

"What she needs is help," Itachi pleaded. "To see a counselor or a therapist or-"

Suddenly the door slammed opened and Itachi jumped when he saw fire blazing in Ritsuko's eyes. "Don't talk about me behind my back! I'm not some child to be dwelt with. If you've got something to say about me, say it TO me!" She snapped.

Itachi swallowed nervously. Even Shizako didn't have a temper like this. She stood perfectly still but had a hostile air about her. He saw some of Kisame's temper in this girl. "I'm concerned about your safety." He said.

"What, you don't trust your childhood best friend to protect me?" She sneered.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again, that's all," Itachi said, trying to keep his tone neutral.

She shook her head sadly. "Why do you care? I mean really? Shizako aside, why do YOU care?"

He hesitated at that. "I…uh…I don't," he confessed. If it wasn't for Shizako's connection to this girl he really wouldn't have cared either way.

She nodded because she knew that but she appreciated the fact that at least he could admit it. "Tell Shizako not to worry. I'm just fine," her tone was more subdued as her temper had waned. She looked at both of them. "You've both have done a lot for me, so thanks for that. But trust me to deal with this ok?"

Her eyes silently pleaded with Itachi to understand and he seemed to because he nodded. "Very well, I'll tell Shiza not to worry."

She nodded her gratitude and closed the door behind her. Itachi blinked at Kisame. "She sure has a lot of spirit huh?"

Kisame chuckled. "You haven't even seen her when she gets really mad. She's an absolute beast then."

Itachi chuckled back. "Sounds a lot like you. Perhaps you two are well-suited for each other."

Kisame hesitated at that. He knew that Itachi only meant that in a friendship sense and in that case he was right. Still Kisame wondered if they would make a good couple as well. He shook his head to clear it. There was no sense in dwelling on things that weren't meant to be.

Despite his protests, Ritsuko insisted on going back to work on the third day. "I've done nothing wrong," she said indignantly. "I have no reason to hide."

"But there's sure to be lots of reporters," Kisame tried to explain.

"Let them snoop," she said with her chin set stubbornly in the air. "They won't be getting any story out of me."

And they were both right. Once Ritsuko clocked into work the Espresso Express was booming with business. It was filled to capacity with reporters and busy-bodies (among the regulars) all demanding a word with Miss Ryoku. True to her word, she didn't tell them a thing. She was a charming and friendly waitress who served with a smile. Kisame couldn't believe it and yet in her eyes he could see the strain it took to maintain the façade; especially when some of the questions posed to her were flat out slanderous. He did his best to shoo them away or keep them busy with other waitresses. Mrs. Aomori had given strict instruction to the rest of the staff that there was to be no gossiping. "This was a tragedy," she had explained. "Do _not_ make it worse by trying to profit from it."

Ritsuko kept up the act until she crossed the threshold of his apartment. There she collapsed onto the couch with a loud groan. "Ugh its times like that when I hate humanity."

He chuckled softly. "You did very well though, I was impressed."

She smirked gently. "Like I would dream of letting down my Assistant Manager."

He smirked in turn and sat on the couch too. He pulled her feet onto his lap and started to massage them. It was times like that when he slipped up, unintentionally showing his affection for her. She blushed slightly at the attention but didn't protest. His smile softened. He liked to see her blush; it made her look so adorable. It also made her human. He sometimes got the impression that she pretended to be much stronger than she really was, whether to protect herself or to keep people from worrying he couldn't tell. But he liked the fact that she let her guard down around him.

At work things slowed down to normal after a few days when it was clear that Ritsuko wasn't going to give an interview. She was tight-lipped even with her co-workers. Kisame realized that she was determined to put this behind her, just like she had with their incident. It made him wonder if she'd been through this sort of thing before. He asked her about it at home and she confessed the truth of her past. He was devastated by the news and it made her embarrassed. "It was a long time ago ok? There's no need to dwell on it." He wasn't sure what to say to that and she wore a gentle smirk. "I'm not a victim Kisame. I can't change what happened but I'm not going to let it hold me back either." He saw strength and pride in her eyes and once again admired her spirit. Maybe she wasn't always pretending to be strong after all.

They continued to learn more about each other. She learned that he loved to cook and was quite good at it. She was pleased to discover that he had a temper and loved to tick him off just for kicks. But before he'd truly lose it, she'd deflate his temper with a teasing touch. Hey she was perfectly capable of being a flirt when she felt like it. It became a bit of a game between them as he liked to rile her up in turn and then make her blush in the end. Still it only went so far. There were many times when one or the other had to back down and cool off. It was becoming harder and harder to hold back their true feelings but they managed to do so for the presumed sake of the other.

And every night ended the same way, snuggling in his bed. He stopped asking if she wanted to after the third night. It just felt so normal and natural. As they snuggled close together, they rarely said a word. Neither one wanted to ruin the mood, the fragile sense of unspoken love. He loved the fact that he wasn't alone anymore and she loved the feeling of connection. Her body curved against his as his arms wrapped around her snugly. Their eyes were lowered and they wore secret smiles.

Once during the night his hand slipped and drifted down her front. She was semi-awake at the time but his gentle snores proved that he wasn't. His touch excited her and she let out a groan. She longed for more, to experience that soul-felt caress once again, but his hand came to rest low on her abdomen. Her heart pounded in her chest as she turned her head to look at him. He had shifted over to her pillow at some point, his mouth now so very close to hers. She closed the gap and kissed him. Even though his lips remained still she felt that intrinsic spark between them. She leaned into him and kissed a little harder, hoping to wake him up so he could respond in turn. Instead he shoved her off the bed and rolled over with a groggy groan. She hit the floor hard and it hurt. Then she realized what an idiot she was. What did she expect? He'd wake up and want to have sex then and there? He only saw her as a friend. Pretending that he didn't wouldn't change things. Hoping that it would only made the heartache worse. Had she really sunk so low that she'd accept cheap imitations to things she deeply desired? So with that realization she grabbed her pillow, an extra blanket, and went to sleep on the couch instead.

Little did she know how Kisame felt the next morning to find the bed empty. At first he assumed that she had slipped out to use the bathroom but she didn't come back. His heart ached to realize that she'd left during the night. (And of course he had no memory of pushing her away) Why did she leave? Was it because she didn't need him? Or was it because he'd been blurring the line between friend and girlfriend and that had made her uncomfortable? He reached out to touch her side of the bed with trembling fingers. He felt his heart break ever so slightly. It had only been a week and already his bed felt empty without her. If only she knew how much he loved her…if only he had the courage to tell her. But surely she'd be more interested in a man closer to her age. Why did he always fall for the wrong girls?

It was still early morning so she might still be asleep. He climbed out of bed and slowly crept down the hallway. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and he heard a groan in the living room. He tiptoed in and found her curled up on the couch with a blanket. Chie lay at her feet. He was a little put out that his cat was beginning to prefer the girl over her Master. But it couldn't be helped. He knelt down beside Ritsuko and watched her sleep. Her long lashes trembled slightly and her mouth was slightly parted as she breathed deeply. Sleep softened her features, making her look at peace. Then she shifted slightly in her sleep so that the blanket slipped off her shoulders. He smirked as he saw a rare glimpse of cleavage peeking out of her tank-top. She looked so very beautiful as she slept. Her lips were red and full and he was tempted to taste them again. She was asleep, she'd never know, he rationalized as he leaned in to kiss her. His heart leaped into his throat as he savored her taste. She moaned softly and her mouth twitched in response. He kissed her a little harder. "Oh Suko," he groaned as his hand drifted down the length of her arm.

Suddenly she punched him hard in the chest. He grunted and fell back on his butt. The swing had only been an instinctive reflex, but the momentum made her fall off the couch and onto his lap. She panicked and flailed. "Huh? What? What's going on?"

He caught hold of her wrists and gently shushed her. "It's alright, its ok." He reassured her.

She stared up at him in horror. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He gently challenged. "Why did you leave?"

She blushed deeply as she scowled. "You shoved me off the bed."

He blinked in surprise. "I did? I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"You owe me," she smirked.

"No I don't," he smirked back as he pressed her hand against his sore chest. "You just punched me in chest."

"What? I did not!" She laughed at him. "You're lying."

"Then see for yourself," he teased as he guided her fingers to lift up his shirt.

She flinched as she saw the beginnings of a fresh bruise spread across his broad chest.

His heart raced as she gently traced the outline of it. Surely she felt it beating against her fingertips. "I'm sorry," she murmured apologetically.

"Now we're even," he said softly. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

She looked up at him with a faint blush on her cheeks and wary eyes. His expression was tender while hers remained uncertain. Just then the phone rang, startling them both out of this intimate moment. She pulled her hand away and grabbed the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Suko, sorry to wake you so early," Shizako said. "I'm on my way home right now. Why don't you come to my house tonight and stay over here instead?"

Before Ritsuko would have said no, but now she realized that she couldn't stay here any longer. If she did she'd eventually crack and confess her love which would ruin their friendship. She didn't want to lose it but the strain of retaining it was beginning to take its toll on her. "Sure thing, I'll be there."

"Be where?" Kisame asked when she hung up.

She didn't speak for a moment, her back still to him. "I'm…going to stay with Shizako now."

"But why?" He protested.

"Why not?" She gently challenged. "I don't have a reason to stay."

That hurt, that really hurt. After all the time they've spent together, getting to know each other better…but he quickly caught his train of thought. This isn't a break up. To break up they would have had to be together…dating. But they weren't. They were just friends. She didn't owe him anything. She didn't have to stay…and he didn't have the heart to ask. Maybe it was better that she left, maybe they did need some space from each other. They were getting too close. "Do what you want," he softly growled as he turned away and went back to his room.

Ritsuko flinched at his harsh tone. It hurt that he didn't ask to her stay…she didn't expect him to, but it would have been nice if he did. It would have given her hope but she was stupid to dream in the first place. He didn't love her and that was that.

She stood up and went to take a shower. It was early but she was too awake to go back to sleep now. Not much else was said between them for the rest of the day. Shizako called that evening to let her know that was she home and Ritsuko said she was on her way over. She went to his room and pulled her things out of a drawer.

He watched her stuff her few belongings into some plastic bags. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked softly, a slight plea to his tone.

She nodded. "I've stayed for too long."

He bristled at that. "It's not like I made you." He growled

"I didn't say that you did," she snapped back. Then she sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. She had to keep her temper in check. "Look…its not that I'm not grateful because really I am. After all," she turned to face him. "You saved my life. I wouldn't be here without you," she whispered shyly.

He approached her and pulled her in for a hug. His mouth rested against the side of her neck and felt her heart beat a little faster. He wanted to say, 'You saved my life too. You saved me from myself; from my heartbreak and loneliness. Please stay; stay here with me and never leave again.' But that was selfish. He knew that Ritsuko couldn't be kept. She was a free spirit. So he said nothing, nothing at all. He just held her and she hugged him back. There were so many things she wanted to say too. 'I love you. I want to stay here with you. I want to be with you and be your girl.' But she was stupid to wish for something that would never be. So the stubborn fools kept quiet, filling the room with silence that didn't belong.

"I have to go," she whispered as she pulled away. "Shizako's waiting."

"Would you like me to give you a ride?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll take a taxi."

"So this is good-bye then." He said flatly.

"For now," she cracked a side-smile. "We'll hang out another time I'm sure."

With that she left the room. He stared after her, remaining rooted to the spot until he heard the front door click shut. Then he slowly sat down on his bed with a heavy sigh. So…that was that.


	14. Chapter 14: Accidental Confession

That night his bed felt so empty and cold. He cuddled with her pillow, drinking in her faint cinnamon scent and pretended that Chie's warmth against his back was really Ritsuko's. He slept fitfully, tossing and turning. Her memory taunted and teased him, keeping sleep just out of his reach. At last he climbed out of bed to make a warm cup of milk. That always helped soothe his troubled thoughts. He sat at the table and rested his head in his hands as he waited for the milk to cool.

Soon he heard Chie whimper as she entered the kitchen. She hopped onto his lap and nudged his hand with her nose. He looked down to see her sad eyes. She mewed pitifully which made him crack a sympathetic smile. "I know girl," he commiserated as he patted her head. "I miss her too."

He took a swig of the milk and set it down with a sigh. It helped ease his mind but not his aching heart. _This is ridiculous_, he cursed himself. _How can I be mourning what was never mine to begin with? _But perhaps that was what made it worse.

What he didn't know was that Ritsuko was awake too and feeling just as awful. Even though she'd been happy to see Shizako again, it was harder to leave Kisame behind then she'd imagined it would be. It was even harder to try to forget him, especially as she slept alone on the cot. She felt cold and wrapped her arms around herself as she tried to remember his warmth. Her heart ached. She never should have asked him to do that in the first place…then again she didn't think it was going to happen again after the first night.

It's hard to suppress your heart and put a smile on your face but it was something she was good at. Only Shizako didn't fall for the act but thinking it was because of the recent trauma she didn't press the issue.

At work Ritsuko was happy to see Kisame, smiling so brightly like he'd never seen before. To see her again, to be so close made his heart race impossibly fast. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her sweet mouth so hard that it made her groan…NO! He couldn't and he wouldn't. He had to withdraw, hold back. It was necessary to save their friendship. That caught her off guard and it hurt. She didn't understand why he was acting so cold all of a sudden but took the hint and started to avoid him too. This went on for about two weeks.

That hurt the friendship…and nearly destroyed it. He felt trapped. To make peace with her he'd have to admit why he had distanced himself to begin with. He couldn't do that, and was at a loss of what to do.

It was during this time that he had a surprise visitor. One late afternoon, there was a knock at the door and he was shocked to see Deidara standing there. He blinked in surprise at his smirking face. "So what's up?" He said cheerfully.

Kisame frowned at him. "What do you want?"

Deidara pouted. "What kind of greeting is that?"

"I'm not in the mood for your crap," Kisame growled. He made to close the door but Deidara entered anyway.

He slung his coat over the back of a chair. "Given your terrible mood I'm assuming that you already know."

"Know what?" Kisame demanded. "Out with it Dei I have no time for games."

Deidara solemnly pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to him. Kisame felt a sense of dread when he recognized the names on the address: Sasori and Kaneko. He didn't want to see what was inside…but he was dying to know. He pulled out a stiff, formal piece of paper. His eyes went impossibly wide and he collapsed into a nearby chair.

It was a birth announcement.

He just stared at the picture. Their smiling faces, bright eyes, how they leaned in closely, intimately as they gazed down at their baby. THEIR baby…not his…not the one that should have been his. The picture fell through his numb fingers and flitted down to the floor.

Deidara sighed dismally as he bent down to retrieve and pocket it. "I'm sorry, I thought that you knew."

Kisame turned his hollow, heart-broken, eyes. "Why…why torment me?"

He frowned down at him. "Torment? No, that's not my intent at all." He smiled widely. "In fact, I came to cheer you up."

Kisame glared at him. "How dare you-"

"Oh come on man, you can't let this get you down. They're happy and you should be happy too. In fact you deserve it even more. And I'll prove it to you."

He frowned in exasperation. "What are you getting at?"

"There's a Rave party tonight, at the Flicker Flit Nightclub."

"And your point?" Kisame asked dryly.

"Let's go, you and me, just like old times."

Kisame's frown deepened. "NO."

"Itachi said you haven't gone to a Rave since Kaneko."

Of course not. That's where he'd met her for the first time. Why on Earth would he go back? He'd only be tormented by the memories.

"You used to love Raves; c'mon it'll be lots of fun. Consider it a new beginning."

Kisame opened his mouth to protest further but suddenly shut it again. He stared at Deidara as his words sunk in: a new beginning. Perhaps that's the answer! A new beginning, a start over! How refreshing the very sound of it was. THAT was what he needed. And the kid was right, why not? Why hide any longer from things he once enjoyed? He jumped to his feet. "Alright, let's go."

"Now you're talking, hm!" Deidara crowed. "See you there at 10pm."

Kisame nodded and Deidara let himself out. Kisame went to his room and looked through his clothes to find his old Rave clothes. It'd been so long…hopefully they still fit. He pulled on a pair of black leather pants that were originally baggy but now form-fitting. It looked even better. Then he pulled on a neon green fishnet shirt that was ripped in places. He admired his reflection in the mirror and grinned. He looked great.

What he didn't know was that Shizako was talking Ritsuko into going to the very same party. Ritsuko was just as reluctant. She didn't want to and didn't feel like it. Normally it was her thing, her scene, but her heart just wasn't into it.

"C'mon," Shizako murmured as she pulled her into a gentle hug. Normally Ritsuko would resist but she stood absolutely still, hands down at her side. It was like she was numb and that scared Shizako. "Please don't shut me out," she pleaded. "I'm here…I'm here…"

"I know," Ritsuko whispered.

"Where's that resilient girl I know? Where's the wild partier?"

Ritsuko giggled softly. "I miss her too," she confessed.

"Then let's go!" Shizako pulled back with a smile. "Let's have fun! Just like we always do."

Ritsuko wore a small half-smile and nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

They dressed up with brightly-colored wigs, and wore skimpy, tight clothes. It was totally fun and brought a genuine smile to Ritsuko's face. She felt sexy and loved it. So both her and Kisame arrived at the dance club at different times, each feeling a sense of initial optimism. The large crowd danced in bright, neon glory as the music pounded throughout the room.

_Docta docta, need you back home, baby  
Docta Docta, where you at?  
Give me something  
I need your love  
I need your love  
I need your loving  
You got that kind of medicine that keeps me comin'_

_My body needs a hero_  
_Come and save me_  
_Something tells me you know how to save me_  
_I've been feeling weird, oh!_  
_Oh, I need you to come and rescue me_

_Make me come alive_  
_Come on turn me on_  
_Touch me, save my life_  
_Come on and turn me on_  
_I'm too young to die_  
_Come on and turn me on_  
_Turn me on_  
_Turn me on_  
_Turn me on_  
_Turn me on_

At first it was a lot of fun. The stress and anxiety slipped away and Ritsuko let loose. She laughed as she danced. Then she froze when she heard a familiar, girly giggle. She turned to see Kankuro and his girlfriend grinding on the dance floor. It made her stomach twist nauseously. What a killjoy. She turned away, making an excuse to get a drink and left Shizako dancing on her own. As yet she hadn't seen Kankuro so she didn't think to follow after her. Ritsuko left the dancing floor and went down the hallway. She wanted to be alone.

Kisame meanwhile had a hard time enjoying himself. Initially he had high hopes in enjoying himself. And at first he did, but then Deidara ditched him to pursue a drunk ditzy girl, and he was left to himself. That's when the memories suffocated him. It was in a place like this that he had first met Kaneko. They connected immediately, just like love at first sight. It had been perfect. He felt so foolish and turned to leave. He just wanted to be alone. The hallway was dark and he had a hard time trying to find his way out. He opened one door and found the room dark and empty. Suddenly it seemed more inviting than sitting outside in the car and he entered. Locking it behind him he went over to the window and sat on the windowsill. The view of the city below made him feel so small and insignificant. Like his petty little problems didn't really matter. And he knew that in the grand scheme of things, they didn't. Other people got over their heartaches and moved on to have happy successful lives. They got second chances…and he nearly had. But Ritsuko too was beyond his reach.

He sighed as he rested his head against the cool glass.

"You too huh?" A female chuckled wryly.

He turned to see Ritsuko emerge from the shadows. He did not recognize her in her rave clothes, make-up, and wig. But she knew it was him. She smirked gently as she looked him over. He looked like a sexy rock star. He frowned warily. "I didn't mean to intrude…" he began.

She waved him off. "Relax, it's not like it's my place. I just had to get away from there."

"You too huh?" He chuckled grimly as he settled back down. He didn't know this girl but she seemed nice enough. "What a sad bunch of suckers we are."

"I know right?" She giggled softly. But her smile faded at the sight of his miserable face. She had never seen him look so depressed. "What's wrong?"

He smirked and looked at her dryly. "You really want to hear my sad pathetic story?" He asked sarcastically.

"Well of course I do," she said as she sat down.

He raised a questioning eyebrow. Why did this stranger even care? But there was something in her eyes that made him feel at ease. What harm could there be in confiding to a stranger? It's not like she knew him.

"When I was an undergrad in college I used to really party it up. I went to frat parties, raves, you name it. If the place had a good beat, beer, and company I was there." He smirked at the fond memories of him, Itachi, and their friends. They really raised hell in their time. Sadly most of them transferred away to other Universities or even worse became more responsible, but there was no denying the great times they used to share. "At a Rave, I met Kaneko Nakamura. She was incredibly sexy."

Ritsuko felt a flare of jealously start to choke her. Suddenly she wondered if she really wanted to hear this story after all. He didn't notice her glare and continued on. "She knew how to have fun, all right. She pulled me onto the dance floor and stole my heart then and there." He smiled fondly as he recalled her long, flowing black hair that swayed in time to the music, her pale blue eyes, full red lips, ivory skin, and that tight little outfit that showed her body off to perfection. "She was so full of life and free-spirited. I wanted to spend all my time with her; all day, every day."

His voice trailed off slowly and his smile slipped away. "So what went wrong?" She asked softly.

"Perhaps she was a little too free-spirited," he smirked in exasperation. "I introduced her to a close friend of mine and she fell for him immediately…or rather I should say that she fell for his money," he said bitterly. "It was like I no longer existed," his voice cracked. "All I did to make her happy, to please her, was easily forgotten. She left me with absolutely no regrets, hardly a backward glance even."

"What a jerk!" Ritsuko hissed angrily.

He looked at her curiously and chuckled grimly. "And here I thought all girls stick together. Oh well, not that it matters anyway. It happened a few years ago."

"But it still hurts," she whispered softly.

He flinched at her keen insight. "Yes…love hurts deeply when it goes wrong."

"But it wasn't really true love," she gently countered as she scooted a little closer.

"That doesn't lessen the heartache though," he grumbled as his gaze lowered for a moment. Then he looked up to see her sympathetic gaze. The thought of her feeling sorry for him randomly made him laugh. "Do you pity me? Feel sorry for me? Just wait until you hear the best part."

She blinked in surprise and remained silent.

"I met this other girl, even more incredible, a few months ago at a friend's party. She was a piece of work; sarcastic, witty, a real spit-fire beauty. The problem? I ruined any chance I had with her when we had a drunken one-night stand."

Ritsuko suddenly found it hard to swallow. He was talking about her. He had to be…so did that mean that he didn't recognize her and thought she was just a stranger? She didn't dare correct him as she eagerly waited to hear what else he'd say.

"Pretty despicable huh?" He asked wryly. "Definitely wasn't one of my greatest moments. Amazingly she forgave me and we became really close friends. But…" he paused for a moment as his gaze lowered once again. "I selfishly wanted more. I loved her…though I had no hope of receiving it in return."

"Why not?" Her voice cracked as she felt her heart pound. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"I don't deserve her," he whispered. "Not after what I did. She foolishly forgave me…but I will never forgive myself."

He fell silent and at first she didn't know what to say. She was in shock and couldn't believe it. He loved her? Really? That made her heart soar but at the same time she was tempted to smack him. Stubborn fool, why didn't he just tell her how he felt? She blushed with shame. She was just as guilty because she too had been unable to say how she felt about him. What a pair of fools they both were. But perhaps there was a chance…to change all that. She couldn't bear to let him walk away still in doubt of her feelings.

"What if some things are meant to be?" she whispered as she leaned in close to him.

He frowned slightly as that stirred his memory. She took advantage of his hesitation and kissed him. He stiffened and was about to push her away until he recognized the taste…and detected the familiar scent of cinnamon. It could only be one girl. He pulled her wig off and recognized that spiky amethyst hair. "Suko," he groaned with pleasure as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her back.


	15. Chapter 15: No Holding Back

She climbed into his lap and the kiss grew more passion. She groaned softly as his tongue deliciously slipped inside. They both fought hard for dominance, tongues clashing in fervent motion. His manhood swelled, pressing hard against her, which caused her to whimper. That gave Kisame the advantage he needed and his tongue claimed victory. He explored her rich depths, soaking in her taste like a man dying of thirst. Indeed she had given him new live, new purpose, a reason to hope like never before. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands slipped underneath her bikini top. Her nipples hardened beneath his fingertips as he stroked and squeezed the soft mounds. Her heart felt fit to burst as it raced impossibly fast. She felt such an exhilarating sense of relief. At last she was free to do what she wanted with him. She was free to taste and to touch…her hand slipped down his muscled chest, massaging along the way and then slowly unzipped his leather pants. She reached in and groped his manhood, tempting and teasing in time to his kisses. It swelled and throbbed eagerly in her hand. She felt him tense beneath her as he struggled to keep his passion in check. He wanted her so badly but he didn't want to hurt her. "Let go," she panted softly in his ear. "We can be gentle next time."

Next time! There was going to be a next time! With a whoop for joy, he threw her back onto the floor and yanked off her bikini bottom. Screw foreplay! He parted her legs and penetrated her in such a hurry that he'd even forgotten to completely remove his pants. He let out a low groan as he closed his eyes in pleasure, soaking in the familiarity of being inside of her once again. It felt even better than he'd remembered. She began to grind her hips against his, sliding along his great length. "Don't stop now," she begged softly with gritted teeth.

"I won't," he reassured her as his hips pressed against her in turn.

"Good," she giggled as she pulled him down for a kiss. "Because I'd kill you if you did."

"Oh would you now?" He teased as he bit her bottom lip, tugging it down. His tongue entered her eager mouth and the kiss grew passionate once again. She moaned with pleasure as she kissed him back, her lips clashing fiercely with his. She couldn't get enough of his taste and knew now that she never would. After denying herself for so long, she had no intention of holding back now. He groaned as her velvety soft lips then ran along the fine muscles of his neck and continued lower. There it intensified as she hungrily tasted his heaving chest. He gritted his teeth to keep from moaning her name and begging for more. He still had his pride, after all. But he thrust in harder, jostling her beneath him. She wrapped her legs around his back to stay in place. His manhood grew hot between her trembling legs, feeling ready to explode.

The friction was perfection itself as her hips moved rapidly in time with his. It felt even better than the first time. "Oh Kisa," she whimpered in spite of herself. She'd never called him that before, but he loved it. Her hands gripped his sides as he went faster. Their breathing was hot and heavy as each panted with exertion. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she let out long groans of pleasure as if they'd been forced out of her. Then they began to shorten as if they'd caught in her throat. Her body went rigid and he knew that she was close to climaxing. He then buried his face into her small cleavage, eagerly sucking on her soft skin. It made her cry out to have her two most sensitive areas so deeply caressed. His mouth closed over one breast and his tongue flicked her erect nipple. Her eyes widened as the incredible sensation overcame her and she arched hard against him with a deep amorous groan.

Her walls squeezed tightly around him, pulsing pleasurably around his rock-hard manhood. That made him release at last. He grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her tight against him as he pumped hot white sperm deep inside of her. Her legs twitched around his hips. The release of hormones tempered in the afterglow and he collapsed down on his elbows. His breath was hot against her chest. He was too exhausted to even roll off of her; and he trembled as he continued to release inside of her. She panted just as hard as he did and for a moment they silently stared at each other. Neither one said anything.

He looked warily at her, worried that he'd just taken advantage of her again. _Please don't let her be drunk again_, he thought worriedly. To his relief, she smiled at him as she pulled him in for a soft, gentle kiss. "I love you Kisame," she whispered against his lips.

He groaned softly as he kissed her back. "I love you too." He loved her so much that he thought his heart would beat out of his chest. Her softness beneath him, her lips against his, her fingers embedded in his hair, made his heart swell for joy. In her gentle kiss he felt his heart start to mend as he felt complete once again.

"I've missed you…so much," she confessed softly.

"Please come back," he begged. "Don't leave me all alone."

He reddened as he realized just how desperate that made him sound but she smiled and nodded. "I thought you'd never ask," she gently teased.

Just then they heard Shizako call her name outside in the hallway. "Suko? Hey where did you run off to? Ritsuko!"

In a gut reaction she opened her mouth to answer her but he clapped a hand over her mouth. "Don't let her find you here like this. She'll kill us for sure."

She nodded and he climbed off, cleaning up a few drips before tucking himself in and zipping his pants. Ritsuko grabbed her clothes and quickly pulled them on. She adjusted her wig as she hurried towards the door. He quickly wrapped his arms around her bare waist and pulled her in against him. "Say goodbye," he instructed softly in her ear. "I'll be waiting for you in the parking lot."

"You think you can order me around?" She teased as she looked over her shoulder.

His eyes lit up with eager anticipation. "I wasn't done with you yet," his voice deepened amorously.

She giggled as she gave him a quick kiss. "Neither was I."

He wasn't satisfied with just that. He gently turned her around and kissed her a littler harder. She groaned softly as she relished the kiss but then jumped when she heard Shizako call out for her again. She blushed. "I've got to go. I'll be back."

He let her leave and smirked deviously as he licked his lips, savoring her taste. Tonight was gonna be a fun night, he just knew it.

He went out to the car and pulled it around front. He waited for a few minutes and soon Ritsuko hurried through the door as she pulled on her jacket. He leaned across the seat to open the door for her. She slipped in with a faint blush on her cheeks. "Ok, let's get out of here."

"So what did you tell her?" He asked as he steered the car out of the parking lot.

"I told her that I wanted to head out early because I felt tired."

"Oh you're not tired yet," He grinned wickedly as he ran his hand along her bare thigh.

She giggled and gently slapped his hand. "I never knew you could be such a pervert. There goes any respect I used to have for you."

He laughed along with her. "You can hardly blame me, you little vixen."

She blushed deeply but seemed flattered but the strange compliment.

He frowned for a moment. "Are you sure she'll be safe on her own?"

She nodded. "Yeah Itachi turned out to be there too so she'll be taken care of."

Then it got strangely quiet as the atmosphere crackled with sexual tension. Kisame was speeding slightly, eager to get home as soon as possible. His eyes wandered over to the girl beside him. Her bare legs shone in the moonlight and the way she nervously fingered at her zipper of her jacket excited him. Ritsuko blushed as she felt his eyes try to discreetly rove her body. She was flattered by the attention but felt self-conscious. Kisame was ripped like a Roman God with chiseled abs and firm biceps while she had…NOTHING. She was short and small-figured. What the crap did he see in her anyway? She absent-mindedly fiddled with her zipper, unaware of the desire she stirred within him. He reached out and caught hold of her wrist. "Don't tease me like that Suko," he chuckled.

She saw how his eyes lingered on her zipper and finally understood. She smirked deviously as she couldn't resist. "Why? Are you tempted?" She asked as she unzipped her jacket all the way. "Do you like what you see?" She purred softly, relishing the strange power she seemed to have over this man. It was so fun to tempt and tease him. Suddenly there was a hungry look in his eyes that sent a delicious shiver down her spine.

He swallowed hard and stared back at the road. His grip on the steering wheel tightened. That wasn't the only thing that tightened, she realized as she looked down at his pants. He chuckled deep in the back of his throat. "You'll pay for that kid," he challenged.

"All night long I hope," she laughed as she ran her hand along the inside of his thigh. Then she cried out in surprise as he slammed onto the gas and sped down the highway. Before long he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex all fast and furious style, leaving skid marks behind. She screamed as the car whipped around into its parking place. "Are you trying to kill us?!" She snapped.

He shut her up by leaning in and kissing her hard. She groaned softly as she kissed him back. It was so intense that it made her toes curl with pleasure. His mouth released hers though he continued to hover over her. She panted softly with flushed cheeks. He grinned wickedly, showing his devilish side. "Brace yourself," he chided as his hand groped her left breast. "It's gonna be a loooooong night."

She smirked in turn. "It had better be." They quickly got out of the car and walked hand in hand up the path. Once inside he pinned her against the closed door and kissed her again. She felt heat emanating from him as his caress grew more eager. "Oh Kisa," she whimpered as his hand slipped down the front of her panties. She felt weak in the knees as he stroked her clit and she wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. "I've wanted this again…ever since that night." She confessed in a whisper.

He knew just how she felt. "Perhaps we got it right from the very beginning," he groaned against her soft neck. He felt her wet around his fingers and her legs trembled around his wrist. "Maybe it wasn't a mistake after all…but truly meant to be."

"Second chances do exist then," she murmured softly.

Then nothing more was said for the rest of the night as they made love throughout his apartment. By mornings light they lay in his bed feeling sore, slightly bruised but thoroughly satisfied. Ritsuko's blush remained as he pulled her in close against his hot skin.

"So…where does this leave us?" She asked shyly as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Isn't it obvious?" He chuckled softly. "You're my girlfriend now. If you didn't know that then apparently I didn't bang you hard enough." He grinned as his hand slipped beneath the covers and playfully pinched her butt.

She squeaked in surprise and tweaked his ears in turn. "You brat!" She teased him.

He pulled her in for a soft, lingering kiss. He savored her taste once again though now it mingled with his own. Her hands released his ears and embedded in his soft navy hair as she gently kissed him back. "I love you Suko," he groaned softly. "I never want you to leave again."

That made her heart swell inside her chest for joy. "I never wanted to in the first place," she confessed.

That surprised him so much that he broke the kiss to glare at her. "Then why did you insist on leaving?" He growled.

She looked away in embarrassment. "I thought you only wanted to be friends; that you couldn't possibly be interested in someone like me. And I…couldn't hold back my feelings for much longer."

He considered that for a moment as his expression softened. "You too huh?"

She stared at him. "You mean that you-?" He nodded sheepishly and they both giggled at the irony. "So all that time we tiptoed around each other when we didn't have to?" She asked wryly.

"Sounds like it. If I'd known how you felt, I wouldn't have had to take all those cold showers," he snickered as his hand ran along her side. "Mhmmm," he groaned softly as he burrowed his face in the nook created between her neck and shoulder. "You belong here," he whispered. "Please say that you'll stay."

She smiled softly as she hugged him close. She felt his heart beat fast against her own. "I will," she whispered in turn.

She shivered with delight as he gently tasted the skin of her neck. But it was more of a nibble now; he was completely out of energy. Likewise she too struggled to keep her eyes open. The long night of sexual frivolity had at last taken its toll and they soon fell fast asleep.


	16. Chapter 16: Acceptance

Ritsuko stirred awake to feel a pair of lips run along her neck and down her shoulder. "Stop, that tickles," she giggled softly as she pressed a hand against Kisame's chest.

He rested his hand over hers as he chuckled. "Forgive me, I couldn't resist another taste."

She opened her eyes to see his shining eyes smiling back at her. "Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he teased as he gave her a soft kiss.

She glanced at the clock over his shoulder. "More like good evening," she laughed. "Look," she pointed at it.

He did and gasped. "Oh no! I was supposed to work today! I'd better call and apologize." He jumped out of bed stark naked and ran down the hallway. She whistled at him from behind, then climbed out of bed and stretched. While he was on the phone making his excuses, she slipped into the shower. As she dried off she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. There were several bruises along her neck, under her chin, on her shoulders, and between her breasts. He was such a beast! But she had no regrets, knowing full well that she'd left several marks on him too.

She walked out with a towel wrapped around herself and another around her head. Chie mewed happily and bounded over to greet her. Ritsuko smiled as she knelt down on the floor. "Hey there Chie. Did you miss me?" She purred loudly in response as she curled into Ritsuko's lap and licked her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Aomori," Kisame said again.

"Not a problem, it was a slow day today," the lady reassured him. "It's not like you to forget though, are you feeling ill?"

He stretched his stiff neck. Now that he thought about it, he felt sore and stiff all over. "More or less," he chuckled.

"Then why don't you take tomorrow off as well?" She suggested. "Rest well Mr. Hoshigaki and I'll see you on Monday."

"Yes, thank you," he said gratefully and then hung up. He turned to see Ritsuko petting Chie and smiled down at the sight. "She really missed you."

"I can see that," Ritsuko grinned and his heart melted at the sight. She looked even more beautiful when she smiled. She stood up and lowered her gaze modestly as she self-consciously adjusted the towel around her.

He chuckled as he pulled her into his arms. "Why so modest all of a sudden?" He teased as he tugged on her towel. "You practically tore my clothes off last night."

She went even redder which made him laugh. "Oh Suko, you're so adorable when you blush."

"Oh shut up," she scowled as she pulled away, her face was still red. She turned and walked back into his room. He was tempted to follow after her, but decided to take a shower instead. The hot water felt good against his bruised skin. Next time he'd better be gentler with her. He wasn't sure just how much man-handling he could handle. Still the memory of the previous night made him grin from ear to ear. She was a real spitfire in bed.

After drying off he wrapped a towel around his waist and came out to find her dressed in some of his clothes. The shirt was long and she had rolled up the pants. "Sorry, but I can't really change into my clothes again."

"That's ok," he reassured her. "I'll drive you by Shizako's place later to collect your things."

She squeaked in horror. "Oh crap! She's probably really worried about me. I better give her a call." She flew to the living room where her coat lay discarded on the floor. She cursed as she checked her inbox. "She left ten messages, ugh she's gonna KILL me I just know it."

"She's a bit over-protective, isn't she?" He asked suspiciously.

"Sometimes," she said with a soft hint of a smile. "But it's nice to be worried about."

He softened at that as he realized the unspoken truth behind that statement. "You were alone often…weren't you?"

She flinched at that. "I don't…really open up to people," she confessed. "It's hard for me to trust."

"Do you trust me?" He asked as he stepped closer.

She looked at him over her shoulder and smirked gently. "That's a stupid question to ask after yesterday, don't you think?"

He chuckled softly. "Yes I suppose so."

She turned away to dial the phone and he left to get dressed. Ritsuko was still on the phone when he came out so he decided to start making dinner. He was STARVING and he was sure she was too. He heard snippets of the conversation as he cooked.

"You're worrying about nothing," Ritsuko's voice sounded firm. "Well of course I didn't tell you that I liked him. For one thing I knew you wouldn't approve and for another I didn't think I'd ever have a chance with him….yeah…NO I wasn't drunk again and neither was he…Look I know it doesn't make sense. I mean he's so handsome and sexy and I'm—well-me…yeah, yeah but I figured he'd want a real woman…[giggles] no, he's ALL man I assure you."

He felt nauseous as he realized that Shizako had taken a dig at his manhood. The nerve!

It was quite for a moment and he wondered if she was off the phone already. Then she spoke again, more softly this time. "I love him Shiza…Yeah I know I said that about Kankuro but it feels different this time. It's not just the fantastic sex, its…more soul deep, you know? Like…he's a part of me [groans in frustration] I dunno know to describe it but it's like he's my missing piece. And for the first time ever…I feel complete."

His heart swelled with pride. He felt the same way too.

"Thanks," she said gratefully and he sensed that Shizako had given her approval. Then she suddenly laughed. "Alright, if that would make you feel better. See you in an hour."

He tried to look like as if he hadn't overheard when she entered the kitchen. "Can I help with anything?" She offered.

"You could cook the Penne," he suggested. She set about her task and remained silent. It started to bother him so at last he asked. "So what did Shizako have to say?"

"You'll find out soon enough," she smirked. "She's coming here in an hour to talk to you."

He frowned. "I don't have to answer to your friend. What I do with you is nobody's business."

"I know but Shizako's my best friend and I'd like her to approve of my boyfriend," she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "She isn't gonna lecture you, I promise. She just wants to make sure that I'm not dating another jerk."

He sighed. "I don't like being compared to Kankuro either."

She giggled. "Sorry about that. She just doesn't want to see me get hurt again."

He hugged her against his side and kissed the top of her head. "I'd never hurt you like that Suko." It hurt that she didn't respond to that but he understood what a leap of faith she was already taking to be with him and let it slide.

Together they finished cooking and sat down to eat Baked Cavatelli with salad and garlic bread. She smiled as she took the first bite. "I've really missed your cooking. It's the best."

"Thanks," he smiled. "My Grandfather taught me. He was a famous chef."

"What about your parents?" She asked. "Didn't they cook well?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. They died in a car accident when I was young."

"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Don't worry about it; it happened when I was three. I don't really remember much about them."

"What do you remember?" She asked gently.

He paused at that. "I remember…" he frowned for a moment as he tried hard to. Then he smiled gently. "My mother always wore a pearl necklace. I don't know why, but she treasured it. And as for my father I remember paper airplanes."

She frowned in confusion. "Paper airplanes? What?"

"He used to make them for me all the time and we'd fly them together." His smile softened. "Yeah, the other things I know about them I learned from Grandfather."

"So he raised you then?"

He nodded. "Yeah, he was a great man."

"Was?" She asked softly.

"He died two years ago."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"I don't think he is," he chuckled wryly. "I was a real handful as a kid; I'm sort of surprised that he lived as long as he did."

"How could you say that?!" She cried out in surprise. How could he be laughing about something like this?

He ruffled her hair. "Don't look so shocked. He's at peace now and with his wife and daughter again, so I know he's happy." He smiled warmly. "Just knowing that…eases the heartache."

She softened at that and nodded. The rest of dinner took on a more comical tone as he shared some of his childhood exploits. "You really were a little monster, weren't you?" Ritsuko laughed.

"And what about you?" He teased as he tapped her nose. "I bet you raised hell too."

She chuckled darkly. "Oh yes. I was a foster parents' nightmare."

"How come?" He asked honestly. "I would think you'd be grateful to get away from your parents."

Her expression fell and she picked at her food. "Actually I wanted to go back home."

That shocked him. "Why? After what they let happen to you?"

She looked exasperated. "I know. I understand now why I had to leave. But I was just a kid then. Home was all I really knew and I didn't want to lose that. I thought that if I was bad enough I'd be sent back. Instead I just got sent to a different house. So I kept up the act, thinking that eventually they'd run out of houses to send me to and have to give me back. But that never happened. Then I met Shizako and she helped me realize just how stupid I was being and helped me find purpose again." She smiled fondly, her eyes shined with unshed tears which caught him off guard. "She was like my guardian angel, saving me from myself...I'd be lost without her."

In that moment Kisame realized just how precious their friendship was so he decided then to be on his best behavior when Shizako came. Later that night, she brought Ritsuko's things. She left to get changed, leaving Kisame and Shizako alone in the living room.

She fidgeted slightly as the awkwardness of the moment was felt. "Listen Kisame…I uh-"

"Thank you," he murmured as he bowed his head.

"Excuse me?" She blurted out in surprise.

He smiled warmly. "Now I understand just how much you mean to Ritsuko. You were there for her when no one else was. You were her first real friend. I can understand why you don't trust me. I was such a jerk to take advantage of her like that before. But things have changed now and I love Ritsuko, very much. She's important to me as well as to you. I'll take good care of her and treat her like the princess she is. I promise."

Shizako looked confused. This wasn't what she was expecting. But he looked sincere and honest…and now she knew how Ritsuko felt about him. So who was she to stand in the way of her friend's happiness? She grinned and nodded. "Alright, I'll hold you to that promise."

Itachi, however, was much less understanding. After Shizako had told him about it, he immediately called him on the phone. "Have you lost your mind?!" he snapped.

"Ah, I take it that you've heard the good news," Kisame teased.

"Cut the crap!" Itachi growled. "You cannot be serious about that girl!"

"She's your girlfriend's best friend," he reminded him.

"I don't care! That has nothing to do with this! She is a child compared to you! If Kaneko could desert you, then think of how easily a teenager could!"

That struck a nerve with Kisame…as it was intended to. "Kaneko's problem was her maturity. It had NOTHING to do with age!" He seethed.

And with that he hung up the phone. Itachi tried to call him back but there was no answer. For days his phone was turned off. Itachi confided his anger/frustration to Shizako. She nodded sympathetically. "Yes I was worried about it initially too but they're happy together. I've never seen Ritsuko smile so broadly and I'm happy for her…and for them. I don't see what your problem is though; don't you trust your friend?"

"I do its just that…I worry about the age difference. Ten years is a wide gap. I worry that it'll only cause them problems in the end. He's older, more mature…when he has a mind to be, and he'll want things that Ritsuko might not have even thought of."

"Such as?" She pressed.

"Well marriage for one thing," Itachi said. "Do you think she's ready for marriage?"

"No, I don't," she confessed. "I doubt she's even thought that far ahead."

"There you go then," he said matter-of-factly. "Now don't misunderstand me, I do wish the two of them well. I just worry that their differences will overcome their similarities. I hate to see him heartbroken yet again by a careless girl."

Shizako sighed and lowered her gaze. "But we're different too Itachi…not really when it comes to age but just about everything else."

"What do you mean?" He asked softly as he drew closer.

She blushed at his closeness and bit her lip. "You come from a big important family. You have wealth and prestige. You're handsome and could have any girl you wanted. Instead you picked me; a social nobody with no connections and no set future. I'm really average at best so why did you settle for me?"

He stared wide-eyed at her. Did she really believe that? "I haven't settled," he reassured her. "You're the best person I've ever met. I don't care about connections. What I care about is that you love me for me. You have a big heart and are loyal to your friends and family. You're a beautiful soul inside and out." He pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her. "I am so grateful to have you in my life."

She smiled proudly at him. "Now don't you think that Kisame feels the same way about Suko?" That caught him off guard for a moment so she pressed her point. "Sometimes difference divide…and other times they don't matter at all. What matters is what you chose to focus on."

He considered her for a moment and then chuckled as he realized what she meant. "You are far wiser than me Shiza," he said as he kissed her forehead. "I'm going to find Kisame and grovel/beg for his forgiveness."

She giggled at the idea of the Uchiha doing that. "Let me know how it turns out."


	17. Chapter 17: Change in Plans

Kisame and Ritsuko had hoped to keep their relationship secret at work, in an attempt to keep their interactions professional. But it was obvious to everyone else what was going on. Far from being critical, Mrs. Aomori was thrilled for them. "Congratulations, my dears. I wish you both the best."

Things soon fell into a happy routine for them. Most days they worked together at the Café and then one of them would cook dinner while the other would clean-up afterward. Ritsuko wasn't that great of a cook. She could if she really put her mind to it, but whenever she's hungry she gets impatient. So she'd rush through the recipe, which ruined it half the time.

"You need to be more patient," Kisame encouraged as he cuddled her from behind. "Cooking takes time and preparation." She growled in response, not really in the mood for a lecture…no matter how gentle he worded it. He chuckled at her temper and nibbled on her ear. "Think of it like sex."

"What?" She asked in confusion

One hand remained low on her waist while the other slipped up the front of her shirt. He loved how she naturally arched against him as her body craved more of his touch. His hand cupped her right breast and gently squeezed. "Making love takes time too as well as skill and preparation…" his voice deepened amorously.

She giggled softly which made her body vibrate against him. "Yes but the difference is that when the cooking climaxes I don't scream out your name." That made him burst out laughing and she continued to joke. "Oh Kisa!" She threw her head back and cried out as sexily as she could. "The chicken is done! Oh! Oooooh!"

"Stop it!" He snorted. "You're ruining the moment and a perfectly good analogy too."

"Nothing could save that mess," she pushed aside the burnt casserole. "Let's order out."

"I've got a better idea, why don't we go out somewhere nice?" He suggested.

She smiled and nodded. "I'll go change into something nicer."

"Lemme help you," he smirked as he pulled down the strap of her tank top. She loved the passion in his eyes. It made her feel gorgeous…even when she didn't think she was.

"Oh no you don't," she giggled as she gently pushed him back. "You'd do more than that and you know it. I'm too hungry for distractions." He pouted and she gave him a soft, lingering kiss. "That should tide you over until later." She teased as she turned to leave.

At the restaurant they whispered, giggled, and flirted like a pair of fools. Even though they'd been dating for two months now, it still felt like it was only the first week. They were happy and comfortable around each other. It was such a relief after repressing their feelings for so long. They'd been to this restaurant before and ordered their favorites. This time though, when Ritsuko bit into her Chicken Parmesan, she gagged and spat it out into her napkin.

"Is something wrong?" He asked in alarm.

She made a face. "It tastes funny; I don't think it's been cooked properly." She discreetly called the waiter over and explained the problem. He apologized for the mistake and promised to bring her another. But when the second arrived, her reaction was the same.

"This one had been properly cooked, Miss," the waiter sympathetically explained. "Would you prefer something else in exchange?"

She nodded and chose a Cesar Salad with some tomato basil soup instead.

Kisame frowned. "Are you feeling alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"You're passing up your favorite meal for some soup and salad." He said dryly. "C'mon that's like you giving up chocolate to try some tofu."

"No its not," she laughed. "Besides they messed up the recipe somehow. It just didn't taste right."

Over the next week or two he noticed that seemed to often be the case…She kept rejecting foods she used to love, insisting that they tasted funny. Then she started to get tired at work, and he occasionally found her napping with her head resting on the counter. It was so weird. He gently shook her shoulder and her head whipped up with eyes open wide. "I'm awake!" She cried out.

"No, you weren't," he sighed. "You were sleeping again."

She rubbed her eyes to clear them. "I'm sorry Kisame."

"You seemed to sleep well last night," he reminded her.

She nodded and then yawned. "I did, I did, but it feels like it wasn't enough."

"Why don't you leave early to go see a doctor?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she gently shook him off. "It's a cold coming or the flu. It'll pass."

He caught hold of her hand and pulled her into his arms. "Please Suko. You've not been yourself lately." He looked down at her worriedly. She sighed and nodded in submission. "Thank you," he said as he kissed her forehead.

She clocked out for the day and went to one of those Urgent Care centers that provide same day care for patients. The nurse asked a few basic questions and ran some normal tests. Then she left to process the test samples and Ritsuko rested her head back against the wall with a sigh. "This is such a waste of time." She grumbled. "I'm just fine…"

Soon the nurse returned and Ritsuko sat up straight. "So what's the verdict?"

"There's nothing really wrong with you."

Ritsuko grinned as she immediately stood up. "There. I knew it."

"Your symptoms are very common side effects for pregnancy and will soon pass." The nurse continued on matter-of-factly.

Ritsuko's eyes went impossibly wide. She collapsed back into her chair and just stared as a sense of dread crawled up her spine. "I'm…pregnant..?" She whispered hoarsely.

The nurse then realized her mistake. "Oh! Forgive me, Miss! I didn't mean to be so blunt. I thought you knew."

Her throat felt dry and it was hard to swallow. "Are you…sure that I…"

She nodded with a sympathetic expression. "Are you alright?" She asked gently.

Ritsuko bristled at her compassion. The situation was awkward enough without a complete stranger being so nice about it. "I'll be fine," she said curtly and immediately left the room. She had to get out of there, she felt suffocated in that medical office. Once outside, she ran. She raced down the street with the wind whipping her hair about her face. She didn't care where she went as long as it was far away from there. Soon she ran out of energy and slipped into an alleyway. She wanted to be away from prying eyes.

She sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. She stared down at the ground without blinking. It felt so unreal and she had difficulty processing it. Pregnant…she was pregnant. What was she going to do about this? Her stomach knotted with worry as she thought about Kisame. Their relationship was still new, things were so much fun…and now this happens. She wasn't ready for this…and she suspected that neither was Kisame. She felt a heavy sense of dread start to smother her. It was all over now…she just knew it. But she didn't want to lose him; she loved him so very much.

Suddenly her cell phone went off in her pocket, startling her. She pulled it out and her heart ached as she recognized his number. Her hand trembled as she let it continue to ring. She felt incredibly guilty for not answering it but she couldn't talk to him about this…not right now. Not when she felt herself on the edge of having a panic attack. But she had to talk to someone…and she knew just the person. As soon as it stopped ringing she immediately called Shizako.

"Hey! I was just about to call you!" Shizako said excitedly. "You'll never guess what just happened. Never in a million years! Go ahead and try."

Ritsuko swallowed hard. "Shiza I-" she started timidly.

"I'm ENGAGED!" She burst out in a giggly fit. "Itachi just proposed in the most romantic way ever!"

Ritsuko felt her heart break. Its not that she wasn't happy for her friend, it's just that the timing incredibly sucked. Tears filled her eyes as she realized that she couldn't tell Shizako right now. She just couldn't ruin this moment for her. She struggled to keep her emotions in check before speaking. "That's awesome!" She gushed. "And about stinkin' time too. Tell me all the details."

As Shizako told the story, silent tears streamed down Ritsuko's face. She bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud. The truth rattled inside of her, desperate for release but she didn't want to rain on her parade. Shizako, in her euphoria, didn't realize that her friend was being so quiet. "Oh that reminds me, I've gotta tell my parents. I'll call you later ok?"

"Yeah sure," Ritsuko said flatly and then hung up. She let the phone slip through her fingers and she cried into her hands. Here in the safety of the shadows, she gave voice to her grief.

Kisame meanwhile was clueless to her turmoil. He didn't start to worry until it was getting past ten o'clock at night. He kept calling her number but she never answered. Something was wrong, he just knew it. He pulled on his coat and took off down the street. He didn't know where to go or where to look but he couldn't keep pacing inside. He had to look for her. It was raining and he pulled his collar up around his ears to keep warm. He called her name as he went up one street and down another.

Then he heard his name spoken softly behind him. He whirled around to see Ritsuko coming out of the alleyway. She was soaked through and her eyes were blood red. He cried out in relief as he hugged her tightly. "Oh Suko, you had me worried! What happened to you? Why didn't you come home? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

He stopped asking as he felt her tremble in his arms followed by a brief sob. Was she crying? "Suko?" He asked softly as he pulled away. His face fell as he saw tears stream down her face. He gently wiped them away with his sleeve. "Hey now, what's this? Why are you crying?"

She silently shook her head. "I…I can't…"

"Can't what?" He gently prodded.

She bit her trembling lip and shook her head again.

"You can tell me," he said as he leaned down to kiss her mouth. She turned away and his lips instead pressed against her cheek. He sighed. "Don't shut me out. I want to know." Ritsuko felt stiff in his loving embrace. She so desperately wanted to hug him back but was afraid to. What would he do if he knew? She was afraid he'd reject her outright. "You've had to suffer alone," he whispered against her cheek as his hand came up to rest against the side of her neck. "You don't have to anymore."

_But for how long?_ She thought in anguish. "I don't want to lose you," she whimpered.

"What?" He asked in surprise and he turned her chin to look her in the eye. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you don't know," she mumbled.

"Only because you won't tell me!" He growled. Then he closed his eyes as he struggled to keep his temper in check. When he opened his eyes Ritsuko could see how concerned he was. "Please tell me."

She took a deep breath to steady herself but it didn't work. "I…I'm…p-pregnant." She croaked.

He stared at her. "You're what?"

"I'm pregnant," she forced out again.

He didn't move, blink, or even breathe it seemed. He just stared.


	18. Chapter 18: The Happily Ever After

Every second that passed in silence made her start to panic. She cried even harder as she started to wring her hands. She looked pathetic as the rain now poured, mixing with her own tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" He suddenly grabbed hold of her face and kissed her hard. She squeaked in protest and struggled to break free. "Stop! What're you-?"

Then he deepened the kiss, which made her groan in spite of herself. She melted in his arms as she allowed his passion to over-whelm her. She held onto his neck and kissed him back, drinking in his taste. His hand wandered down her back and he pulled her in close. It was a bit of a weird sight for passerby to see them making out in the middle of the street, but they were lost in their own little world. When Kisame finally broke the kiss, it left her completely breathless and disorientated. He had that effect on her sometimes; he loved every bit as rough as she did. She giggled softly as her head fell back and she licked her lips. "So tasty," she murmured.

"You have no idea…" He chuckled as his lips then ran along her soft neck. It was like a trance, a spell that he weaved over her. Her pulse raced against his lips and he pressed his advantage. "I love you Suko," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. "This doesn't change anything. If anything it binds us closer together…don't you think?"

She started to regain her senses and promptly resisted. "Kisa, don't…" she said as she tried to pull away. His grip on her was firm but not painful. Her blood-shot eyes were full of fear which broke his heart.

"Why are you afraid?" He asked sadly.

"I…don't want to lose you," she confessed in a faint whisper.

It made his heart race to hear her admit that. She had never said anything so committed before. It gave him courage and resolve. "And you won't. I'm not going anywhere. You being pregnant doesn't change anything."

She looked exasperated. "It changes EVERYTHING! Kisame we can't have this baby, we're not ready, I'M not ready-"

His expression suddenly darkened. "You're not thinking of aborting it…" he challenged with a deep guttural growl.

"No of course not!" She snapped. "It's just that…oh I don't know," she succeeded in pulling away. "It's too soon."

He drew closer with a gentle smile. "It is," he admitted. "But I had hoped that it would happen one day..."

"What?" She asked in a quiet tone as his gentle words combined with his tender expression began to soften her.

He partially unzipped his jacket and took hold of her hand. He guided it inside and pressed it against the inner pocket over his heart. He smiled at her curious frown.

"What's that?"

"Find out for yourself," he answered as he let go.

She carefully unzipped the pocket and slipped her hand inside. She felt something hard, covered in velvet. She pulled it out and gasped to discover it was a ring box. Startled, she dropped it. He deftly caught it and cracked it open to reveal a princess-cut diamond ring. He grinned to see her hand fly to her mouth as she squeaked in surprise. Her cheeks burned red. "Oh Kisa…" she whispered in awe.

He smiled. "I was just waiting for the right opportunity. And while this probably isn't, I know that to keep this baby requires commitment. What better way can I prove that then to make the ultimate commitment?"

"Oh Kisa," she repeated, with a hint of embarrassment this time as she buried her face in her hands. "You don't have to propose to me just because I'm pregnant."

He chuckled as he lowered her hands and gently kissed her mouth. "I bought this a few weeks ago. Long before I even knew you were pregnant."

Well that was true. He had the ring on him and only now just found out about the baby. "Why would you want to propose…to me?" She asked shyly.

"I have known almost from the beginning that you were meant for me. Ever since that first night, I felt a special connection to you…something that resonated within my soul. If ever true love existed, you are my mine." He murmured as he slipped the ring onto her tiny finger.

She was clearly overcome and her eyes filled with tears but they were happy ones this time. She grabbed his face and kissed him hard. He chuckled as he let her dominant this time. She was such a spitfire beauty. "Yes," she groaned against his lips. "Yes, a million times yes!"

He barked out a triumphant laugh as he lifted her off her feet and kissed her back. "That's my girl," he praised. Just then thunder rumbled loudly, startling them both. Then it clicked. "Oh! It's not a good idea for you to be out in the rain! Not in your condition. C'mon lets go home." He adjusted his grip on her and carried her in his arms.

She blushed. "Put me down!" She protested. "I can walk. I'm not helpless, you know."

"You're carrying my child, the least I can do is carry you," he said with a smile and a wink. She blushed even deeper and lowered her gaze. He was pleased to see her play with her engagement ring. It was obvious how pleased she was with it.

Once inside he let her to take a hot bath first and saw to it that she was tucked into bed afterward. "I hope you don't intend to baby me over this," she groaned softly as fatigue began to overwhelm her.

"I hope you don't intend to be stubborn about this," he gently teased with a soft kiss. "Learn to take it easy now before things get harder." Then he left to take a hot shower. By then he felt so cold that he was nearly frozen to the core. Hopefully Ritsuko had been spared that sort of chill. Apparently not because the next day she suffered a terrible cold while he only had the sniffles. For the next few days he nursed her back to full health; staying by her side and feeding her hot, soothing soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. She weakly protested his care, but was too sick to really resist. "This makes for a refreshing change. You're not so stubborn when you're sick," he teased once and kissed her cheek. She stuck her tongue out at him in reply.

It wasn't so bad though, being sick made her more cuddly. Kisame loved that and held her in his arms for hours on end. She spent most of that time asleep, burning with fever. That was uncomfortable for him, but he soon got used to it. He just loved holding her close and fondly stroked her flat stomach. It filled him with immense pleasure to think that she carried his child. Still, he understand her fear and concern, most guys aren't willing to accept the consequences of a sexual relationship. So while it wasn't intentionally planned, he had no desire to ditch her. Far from it, it made him feel even closer to her. So he remained by her side, holding her close.

When she finally felt better, she gently broke free of his arms. While she loved him, she also loved her space too. He was asleep, snoring softly into his pillow, giving her the perfect opportunity to escape. She really wanted a hot bath, to soothe her achy body. As the hot water ran into the porcelain tub she poured in a few cinnamon bath beads. They burst under the water and soon filled the air with its invigorating aroma. She settled into the tub with a satisfied smile. Steam curled around, warming her face. The heat started to lull her to sleep and her eyelids grew heavy. Just as she began to drift to sleep, she was startled awake to Kisame yelling her name.

"Knock it off! I'm in here!" She screamed back. "Geez! What's your problem?"

He burst into the room and rested a hand over his heart. "You disappeared…I was worried…" Then he took in the sight of her in the bathtub and his worried expression slipped into a smug one.

She scowled as she yanked the curtain closed. "You don't have to freak out when I leave the room. I'm not under house arrest."

She watched his shadow as he sat down on the toilet seat. "You sound back to your old self. How are you feeling?"

She stuck her head out of the curtain and wore a soft smile. "I'm fine. It was just a bad cold, that's all." He nodded silently as he wrung his hands anxiously. She frowned a little at that. "What's wrong?" She asked.

At this he wore a big smile. "We're going to have a baby!"

She flinched at that. "Oh yeah…I nearly forgot."

"What? How could you forget something that incredible?" He burst out. "Please tell me that you haven't forgotten my proposal too."

She giggled softly at that. "No…I didn't." Then she looked up at him with concern. "But are you really sure?"

He moved to kneel down beside her. "C'mon Suko, do you really think I'd propose so lightly?" He reached out and stroked her soft cheek. "I meant what I said before. We were meant for each other and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Then he cupped her face in his hands and pulled her in for a soft, teasing kiss that lingered with desire. A soft groan escaped from her lips as she kissed him back.

When the kiss finally ended, she looked into his eyes with a smile. "How soon can we get married?"

He chuckled at that as he pulled away. "Why rush it? Let's plan it out."

She shook her head. "No. Screw wedding planning, it's too much stress for such a short ceremony. Besides planning things out isn't our style."

"OUR style?" He chuckled at that. "Since when do we have a style?" She let the water out of the tub and quickly wrapped a towel around herself before climbing out. He pulled her onto his lap. "You only get married once…let's do it right."

She pouted a little at that. "But I don't want to wait. What is there to wait for?"

He smirked at that as his hands squeezed her hips. That was true…he had stolen her virtue some time ago. Even now, the thought of her in just a towel excited him but he forced himself to maintain focus. "It's a symbol to both remind and strengthen us; it's a way for us to show our commitment to one another and to the world. That is why it's important to get it right."

She considered him for a moment. "Hmm…you're more of a romantic than I thought."

He grinned at that as he kissed her gently. "I love you Ritsuko…and I want this to be special for you."

She considered that for a moment. "Alright…I'll give you a week to cook up something special. I refuse to wait any longer."

He smirked. "You're looking forward to the honeymoon, aren't you?"

She laughed at that. "Heck yeah! Why don't we practice a little bit?" She purred amorously as her slender fingertips slipped up the front of his shirt as she leaned in to kiss him. He chuckled in turn as his mouth seized hers.

A week later they were standing on a beach in Florida, holding hands as they recited their marriage vows. She wore a white sundress with her hair curled and held up with pearl pins, with a delicate strand of pearls around her neck to match. In her hands she held a little bouquet of tropical flowers. Simple details really but it really added to the moment.

He wore a slightly unbuttoned white shirt with khaki pants. Each one was barefoot in the sand. Off to the side Itachi and Shizako stood as witnesses. His expression was soft as he took in Kisame's radiant face. He looked like his old self again. Shizako noticed that Ritsuko's face glowed with love. That was a rare sight from a girl who went out of her way to hide her feelings from others. The couple was dimly aware of their surroundings as they gazed into each others eyes. Each one felt both felt like the luckiest person in the world and that the other deserved someone better.

At the end of the ceremony Kisame pulled her into a passionate kiss right then and there.

She laughed at the end of the kiss and hugged him around the neck. "I hope you know what you're getting into because you're stuck with me now." She smirked.

"Right back at'cha," he smirked as he kissed her again.


	19. Chapter 19: Change in Plans

The honeymoon had been phenomenal. Each day was such a blast: snorkeling, sight-seeing, and walking along the beach hand in hand as the sun set in the horizon. The nights were even better as they were filled with passion. She giggled as he nibbled on her bra strap. "Its 3am Kisa…we've got to sleep eventually."

"I'm afraid that if I go to sleep I'll wake up to find this all to be just a dream."

She softened at that as she took his face in her hands. She pulled him in for a soft, lingering kiss. "I'm not going anywhere Kisame. I'm…your wife now," she blushed modestly at that. She giggled shyly. "I'm your wife!"She said more enthusiastically.

He grinned as he kissed her harder. "Of course you are…I love you Suko." He groaned as he lowered himself onto her soft body.

"I love you Kisa," she whispered as she curved into him.

After a week they flew back to New York City, to home. It felt a little weird as they walked up the stairs to his apartment. She marveled at this new feeling…before she didn't think that marriage would add anything to their relationship, but it did. She felt more secure in his love…more at peace with her feelings, and relaxed. Especially when his arms wrapped affectionately around her waist as she started to unlock the door. He nuzzled her neck affectionately. "Welcome home," he murmured against her skin. It made her smile with pride and she turned to give him a tender kiss.

When it threatened to become something more, she pulled away. She was still sensible of where they were. "Why don't you bring the things in and I'll get the mail?

He smirked. "Killjoy."

"Practical," she corrected as she tweaked his nose. "You'll just have to wait until later."

She walked away, whistling to herself as she went downstairs to the mailbox. It was predictably full since in their hurry to marry they'd forgotten to get the mail held back. She wasn't really paying much attention as she sorted the mail in order of size…but was startled by a large, heavy official looking envelope from UC Berkeley.

Her heart suddenly pounded in her chest as she felt a sense of dread come over her. Why…would they send him this? She slowly walked back and found him unpacking in the bedroom. He looked at her curiously. "Anything good in the mail?" He asked causally.

She narrowed her eyes slightly as she silently held up the large envelope. He blinked in confusion for a moment and then brightened as he took it from her. He eagerly opened it, read the cover letter, and then whooped for job. "Yes! I got in! Boo-yah!" Her heart dropped into her stomach as she just stood there in disbelief. He turned towards her with a large smile. "Isn't this great?"

"H-How long have you known?" She forced out.

He considered her for a moment. Then his smile faded as he started to understand. He sat down on the bed, took her hand and gently pulled her onto his lap. "Ritsuko, you know that I'm graduating with my bachelors degree next month." She nodded slowly but her heart still pounded nervously. "I plan to further my education by getting my Masters at UC Berkeley. Its been the plan for some time now."

She frowned at him. "Then why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged. "With everything that's been going on…I guess it just slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind?!" She snapped. "And just WHEN were you planning on telling me? The day you're supposed to fly out?" She shoved him back against the bed. Before she could storm away he pulled her down beside him. "Let go of me!" She growled as she swung her fist at him.

He easily dodged it. They struggled on the bed, her trying to break free and him trying to restrain her without hurting her. "Look, I'm sorry!" he hissed as he tried to reign in his own temper. She felt his muscles tremble as he restrained himself. Her eyes widened as she marveled at his strength and remained still beneath him. He gazed down at her, taking in her beautiful features, and it helped him to calm down. "You're right," he admitted. "I should have told you long before now. I'm a jerk for not doing so before but its too late now."

She looked at him uncertainly. "When do you leave?" She whispered.

"We leave in a month." He said but she slowly shook her head and he frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" He growled.

She bit her bottom lip as she struggled to find the right words. A flare of desire filled his chest to see blood rush to her full lip. So soft…so desirable…

"I don't want to move," she confessed and his eyes snapped up to hers. "It's too far away! I wish that you'd consulted me on this."

"I sent my application in long before I met you." His eyes pleaded with hers to understand. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I worked hard for it…and I'm going for it." His expression softened as he stroked her cheek. "I want you…" he whispered as his hand ran along her front. He relished her soft gasp and the swell of her chest beneath his fingertips as they drifted down to rest on her stomach. "And the baby to be there supporting me. Will you?"

She lowered her gaze as she thought about it. Her only tie to NYC was Shizako. How could she possibly leave behind her only best friend ever? But soon she was going to marry Itachi. He might take her far away too. Even if Ritsuko decided to stay…there was no guarantee that Shizako would. Kisame brought her left hand up and gently kissed her palm. Her gaze rested on her wedding ring. So bright and sparkling…and she recalled her vows, especially of her commitment to be with him always. And now that promise was being tested…how could she fail now? She giggled softly. "Alright, I'll go," she conceded.

He chuckled as he kissed her sweet mouth. "Good. Now that that's settled its time for some make-up sex."

That made her laugh and he took advantage of the opening to deepen the kiss. She groaned with pleasure as she kissed him back. Her back arched as he slid his hand up the front of her shirt. Pregnancy made her body even more sensitive to his expert touch, drawing soft moans and gasps from her. He relished this newfound power he had over her as he overwhelmed her with his passion. Afterward he lay on top of her, embedding his fingers in her soft amythst curls, still savoring her sweet mouth. "I love you Suko," he murmured against her full lips.

"I love you Kisa," she groaned softly. Then she turned her head to look out the window. The high now over her thoughts returned to the move and what that would entail.

He understood. "I know that you don't want to leave Shizako behind. But you can always text, email, Skype, or call her. And you won't be alone either, I'll be there by your side," he tried to reassure her.

"And in my bed," she giggled deviously which made him smirk.

"Heck yeah," he kissed her hard. "I love you so much."

Ritsuko took her best friend out to lunch the next day to break the news, hoping that the public setting would contain her reaction to the news. That backfired big time as Shizako completely freaked and let out a string of profanity. "I'm not gonna let him drag you across the country! I'll kill him first! I'll-"

It made Ritsuko laugh and she pulled her friend in for a tight hug. "I love you Shiza," she said softly, and gratefully. She was so very lucky to have a best friend like her.

Shizako softened as well and hugged her back tightly. "I don't want to lose you."

"Yeah but odds are we'd separate one day. After all maybe you'll decide to go to college or Itachi might transfer too."

Shizako nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, you're right." Then she grabbed hold of her shoulders and gently shook her. "But you'd better keep in touch or else I'll come after you."

Ritsuko smiled as she hugged her again. "I promise."

"So uh…when do you have to leave?"

"In a month."

Shizako choked on her soda. "Really? That soon?"

"I know right? I nearly killed him myself."

"But instead?" Shizako prompted.

"Mind your own business!" Ritsuko snapped as her face when completely red which made her friend laughed.

When it came time to move Kisame hired professional movers to pack up their apartment. "But why?" She asked curiously.

"I don't want you packing things in your condition," he said seriously.

She looked exasperated. "Oh c'mon! I'm not even showing!" She patted her flat stomach for emphasis.

"But you're still three months along with six more to go," he reminded her as he pulled her into his arms. He kissed her tenderly to slowly wear down her resistance. "Lets let them do their jobs and we'll go out for dinner. Then we'll spend the night in one of those hotels with a themed room," he grinned deviously as his hand slid down the length of her back. She reddened but he just laughed and kissed her once more before leading her out the door.

They flew first class to California and spent the first week getting their place together before he went to new student orientation. He loved his new classes but nothing compared to going to home to find Ritsuko waiting for him. It was an incredible feeling and one of great comfort. After about two weeks, he was shocked one morning to see her change into a uniform. He frowned. "What…are you wearing?"

She looked down at it. "Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing's wrong WITH it, I'm just at a loss for why you're wearing it."

"I got a job yesterday." She said casually as she started spiking her hair with gel to make it flare out.

"WHAT?!" He exploded. "In your condition?!"

She frowned. "I'm not on bed rest, you know," she growled. "I'm free to come and go as I please."

"But you should be taking it easy!" He insisted.

"But I'm bored!" She burst out. "I hate waiting around here with nothing to do but cook and clean! I'm NOT some 1950s housewife!"

He took a moment to compose himself; after all he wasn't really angry but worried. He then pulled her into his arms. "I'm not suggesting that. I just want you to be careful. That's my baby you're carrying."

That made her snicker. "And here I thought you were worried about me," she teased.

He grinned. "I know his spitfire mama can take care of herself." He bent down to give her a soft kiss. "Just be careful." While he still worried about her, he saw in time like she liked being productive. She was happy which made him happy too.

Ritsuko remained in touch with Shizako, always emailing, texting, and calling her. Sometimes it felt like they'd never really parted. She was still very much a part of Ritsuko's life, to the extent that they skyped the ultrasound session at the doctor's office. Shizako watched on through the ipad screen to see that they were going to have a girl. Kisame was super excited at the idea of having a little princess but Ritsuko hadn't really cared either way. It just made her happy to see Kisame so thrilled. After all she knew how lucky she was that he'd decided to stick around in the end. Most boyfriends wouldn't have done that…she knew that Kankuro wouldn't have.

When she was five months along, they flew back to New York for Itachi and Shizako's wedding. Ritsuko's slightly bump showed through her bridesmaid dress but she proudly supported her friend. Kisame was predictably the Best Man. The wedding was a spectacular event, held outside with the skyline view for an impressive backdrop to the ceremony. It was elegant, sophisticated and crowded with their large families there to celebrate. Itachi's parents had used to occasion to promote themselves and their wealth but the happy couple didn't let it bother them. They were lost to themselves and their love.

Going back to California made Ritsuko a little sad. Kisame was a little worried. "Do you…regret it?"

She smirked to herself; her gaze was still out the window. "I regret a lot of things," she whispered.

He flinched. "Do you regret our small wedding?"

"Huh? What? No," she said turning towards him, obviously she was distracted. But she shook her head. "No, I don't regret that. We didn't need all that hype and flash." She reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her smile was soft and beautiful. "All I needed was you."

That made him feel much better.

As the pregnancy progressed, it became more obvious. Kisame cuddled her as much as she allowed him to. "I'm starting to feel like a pet," she complained as he stroked her swollen stomach. "Its just so incredible to imagine what's inside."

Just then a foot kicked against the palm of his hand. His face lit up with delight but she grimaced in pain. "It would be if she wasn't so rough on me."

"Ah so we've got a little spitfire, she must take after you," he teased.

"What? You liar!" She laughed. "You're a bigger troublemaker than me."

He grinned deviously as he nibbled on her neck. "I'm more of a lover than a fighter."

Her giggle was soft as she leaned into him. "I agree," she whispered into the corner of his mouth.

They shared a passionate kiss and then he grunted as the baby kicked him hard. "Hey, don't interrupt Daddy," he said, poking her stomach.

He was answered with another solid kick. Ritsuko winced but laughed. "Yeah, you tell her champ."

"She listens to me about as well as you do," he teased again.

"What?" She protested. "You're so full of it!" She laughed.

Things continued to go well for them. Kisame was doing well with his studies and Ritsuko kept busy at her little part-time job. Life was good. Then one day his cell phone went off in the middle of British Literature. Kings Cross Hospital showed up on the caller ID. He answered it with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Hello?" He asked nervously.

"Mr. Hoshigaki? This is Doctor LeGaston. I'm calling regarding your wife, Ritsuko. I'm afraid there's been an accident-"

Kisame hung up on him and ran out of class. He flew across campus to where his car was parked. His heart raced as he panicked. Ritsuko was barely seven months along. Was she ok? Was the baby? Maybe he should have stayed on the phone a little longer to get more details but he didn't have the time. He had to see her! He jumped into the car and peeled out of the parking lot. He sped all the way to the hospital. _I'm coming Suko! I'm coming! Please be ok…_ he thought to himself.


	20. Chapter 20: Close Call

"WHERE'S MY WIFE?!" Kisame bellowed as he burst in through the double-door entrance. Patients and nurses cried out in surprise as papers flew up into the air. His hands curled into fists as his expression was taken over by maximum rage. He looked purely demonic.

A petite woman chuckled softly as she boldly approached him, clipboard and medical chart in hand. "Well…she wasn't kidding about your temper."

"Where's Ritsuko?" He demanded as he naturally loomed over her.

She frowned disapprovingly and tapped her lips to motion for silence. "Right this way," she said as she walked down one of the hallways. He quickly followed after her. Her small heels clicked against the tiled floors but she remained silent with head forward and shoulders back. Her silence worried him to the point of hysteria.

"What happened? Is she alright? Is the baby ok? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"Mr. Hoshigaki!" She snapped as she turned to face him. Despite her height, her eyes blazed with an authoritative air. In that moment, she seemed to tower over him. "If you cannot keep your voice down I'll have you removed by security!" He made a bit of a face but remained quiet. She softened with a nod. "Thank you." She turned to continue. "To answer your question, your wife was in a car accident. It was a hit and run by someone who ran a red light." His temper flared and he nearly exploded. Instead he stopped to take a deep breath to try in vain to calm down. He felt a rush of emotions: panic, fear, anger, revenge, hopelessness, helplessness… The nurse continued on delicately. "The car was broadsided but the damage wasn't too extensive." He found it difficult to swallow. "She is alright," she quickly reassured him. "Her injuries were minor and while the trauma did induce labor we managed to stop them."

He let out a huge sigh of relief. "But they're ok now right?"

She nodded. "She's just resting at the moment. Come this way." She silently led him to the room.

There he felt the wind knocked out of him as he saw her propped up in bed. There was a large bandage around her head and her beautiful face was bruised and covered with a few stitches on the left side. She lay there hooked up to IVs and surrounded with all kinds of monitors. She looked so small and vulnerable in her frumpy hospital gown. "Oh Suko," he murmured breathlessly.

She stirred at the sound of his voice and looked up to see him staring from the doorway. She lowered her gaze and fidgeted with the blanket. "I know, I know," she said wearily. "I should have been more careful."

He slowly sat down on the bed. "How do you feel?" He asked softly.

She grimaced. "Like hell," she growled. Then she looked worried. "You're…not mad?"

His right eye twitched as he frowned darkly. "I'm friggin' PISSED! But definitely not at you. If I ever get my hands on that jerk I'm gonna-" He stopped mid-rant as her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in a trembling tone.

"It wasn't your fault," he reassured her, but his gaze dropped down to her stomach. In reality it didn't matter who had been at fault. The baby would have been in danger either way.

Her gaze followed his and she gently rubbed her swollen stomach. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

He gently raised her chin to look into her eyes. "You're both safe now, that's all that matters."

"Oh Kisa…" her bottom lip trembled as a tear fell at last. "I was so afraid that we'd lost…" her voice cracked and she was unable to finish.

Even he got misty-eyed as the thought of miscarriage terrified him as well. To lose their child…would be just as terrible as losing his wife. Both meant more to him that anyone else and he'd risk everything for their safety. He wished he'd been there to protect them. He had failed them…it hurt so badly to acknowledge that. He hugged her tightly and she clung to him, crying hard into his shirt.

As her cries softened to quiet sobs, a doctor entered the room. He wore a sympathetic smile. "You're very lucky, Mrs. Hoshigaki. Things could have turned out very differently. But you're not out of danger just yet."

"What do you mean by that?" Kisame accused. Ritsuko looked worried as she rested a hand instinctively on her stomach.

"The placenta that supports and protects the baby is damaged slightly."

"Slight? How slight?" Kisame growled and she punched his arm to shut him up.

"Nothing too serious," the doctor reassured them. "But I recommend that she quit her job and remain on bed rest for the last two months of her pregnancy."

She made a face at that but didn't protest. Two months of boredom was a small price to pay for their daughter's safety. Kisame noticed her disgruntled expression. "Don't worry Doc; I'll see to it that she stays put."

She glared at him. "I hardly need your help to stay in bed!"

"We'd like her to stay overnight, just in case," the doctor added.

Kisame nodded. "Sounds like a good idea." He stood up to shake the doctor's hand, thanking him for his hard work. Then he turned towards his wife. "I can bring a few things from home if you'd like."

She nodded. "Yeah, bring some DVDs; they've got a TV here."

He bent down to give her a kiss. "I'll stay the night as well."

"But don't you have to go to a study group tonight for your discourse analysis?"

He gave her a dry look. "Yeah, like I totally wanna ditch you to hang out with a bunch of nerds."

She giggled but as he walked away he realized that with school he couldn't make sure that she'd actually stay in bed. She was such a restless girl…always on the go. He quickly pulled out his cell phone to make a quick call.


	21. Chapter 21: Not-so-secret Kiss

It took him quite a while to make the arrangements. That frustrated him, but he knew that he was asking a huge favor, so he tried to keep his temper in check. "'K thanks, I appreciate it," he said tersely and quickly hung up the phone. It slipped through his tired fingers and he pressed a hand against his blurry eyes. Oh how his head ached. Beyond exhausted, he collapsed into an armchair. Chie jumped onto his lap with a reassuring purr. He wore a soft smile as he gently stroked her long fur. She looked around the room and mewed. His smile faded. "No, no, she's not here."

Chie blinked lazily at him, it was clear that she didn't understand. There was no sense in explaining for her sake. If anything, talking about it would make it all too real. Of course it was, but he'd rather not dwell on just how close he had come to losing his two favorite girls. He let out a long sigh as he rested back against the chair and his weary eyes slid closed. He wasn't going to sleep, he reasoned with himself. He just needed a second, a moment to himself.

But when he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by darkness. It was night now; he had overslept after all. He swore angrily under his breath as he jumped to his feet and fumbled for the light switch. He flinched at its brightness for a second, quickly tossed a handful of movies into a plastic bag, and ran out the door. At least at this time of night there wasn't much traffic. He burst in through the hospital doors for the second time and raced past the startled staff and flurry of papers up to her room. He wouldn't make her wait any longer than he already had. He inwardly cursed himself for sleeping. He should have been here hours ago.

He poked his head inside her room, completely out of breath. She was fast asleep, resting fairly comfortably. She looked better with color returned to her cheeks and a secret smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She always slept like that, as she kept her dreams to herself. It was one of many things he'd come to love about her. The monitor beeped at a soft, steady pace and her hand rested across her large stomach. He hoped the baby was sleeping peacefully as well.

He didn't wake her just yet; he hated to interrupt her sleep. He turned his attention to unloading the DVDs from the bag. One of them fell to the floor, making a terrible racket. Crap. He cringed as he heard her stir. "Oh hey, so you finally bothered to show up." Her voice croaked teasingly.

He turned around with a sheepish grin. "Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

She giggled softly and shook her head. "Don't worry 'bout it," she said faintly. She still sounded incredibly tired. She shifted in bed, trying to get comfortable.

"You shouldn't-" He cautioned as he approached her.

She cut him off with a warning glare. He wisely kept silent. She found the remote and adjusted the bed to a sitting position. She looked more satisfied. "There, that's much better."

"You should be more careful," he warned as he bent down to kiss her forehead.

She looked a little exasperated with him. "Please spare me the worrying."

He chuckled. "I'll try to cut back on it," he promised.

"I'll hold you to that," she challenged with a wink. "So what movies did you bring me?"

He turned to retrieve them from the counter and a nurse came to check in. "Oh good, you're awake now. I'll get your dinner sent in." She looked up at Kisame with wide-eyes and all color drained from her face. With his height and broad muscular figure he was an intimidating sight to behold. "And…uh…would you…" her voice trailed away fearfully.

"Yeah get him something too," Ritsuko said. Knowing her husband as she did, she doubted he'd eaten anything since he'd visited her earlier. He tended to forget to eat when in a panicky mood. She noticed the nurse's trembling hands as she set about checking her vitals. She kept looking at him nervously from the corner of her eyes. The poor thing must be scared of him. "Don't worry about him; I keep the beast on a tight leash." Ritsuko reassured her.

"You what?" He blurted out, voice rising a little bit.

The young nurse let out a cry of terror and bolted from the room. Ritsuko couldn't help but laugh. "Oh look now you did it. Now hopefully you won't scare away our dinner too."

Confused, it took him a while to realize what had happened and then he couldn't help but laugh. "Hey you can be a real monster too sometimes."

She smirked deviously at him. "Takes one to tame one."

"I suppose that's true," He grinned in turn. Oh how he loved his spitfire beauty.

Then her gaze softened as her smirk faded to a small smile. Like never before, she felt a sense of deep appreciation for him. She really couldn't ask for a better guy. With both his ferocity and his tenderness, he was truly one in a million and a perfect fit for her own conflicting personalities. He made the impossible happen and gave her something she needed more just love: security and hope for a bright future in spite of her dark past.

He blinked in surprise at her radiant smile. It wasn't a sight he saw very often. Curious, he drew closer. She reached out and tugged on his shirt, pulling him down. "I love you," she whispered softly against his lips. She felt them stretch into a pleased smile before moving in time with hers. The kiss was soft, gentle, and tender. His hand drifted down from her cheek and along the soft curve of her neck. Everything faded in that moment as he slowly drank in her scent, her taste, her trailing fingers along his broad chest…and then he lost it. He fiercely deepened the kiss with a hungry growl. When it came to her, he abandoned restraint. She didn't hold back either. Her fingers embedded in his short navy hair as her tongue moved in tempo with his. She whimpered with pleasure and the monitor increased noisily as her pulse sky-rocketed.

"Mr. Hoshigaki!" A shrill voice interrupted them.

They turned to see the same short nurse from before who wasn't afraid of him. She wagged a scolding finger at him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Ritsuko looked at him, realizing then that he was leaning over her. Turning bright red, she buried her face into his shoulder. Oh how she wanted to die from the shame! What was she thinking? She couldn't believe she'd been stupid enough to forget where they were!

Kisame, however, wasn't ashamed at all as he looked the nurse right in the eyes. "I'm showing my wife just how much I love her."

She smiled with pride but the nurse just huffed. "Next time I suggest you stick with words instead."

"Oooo now there's an idea," he chucked mischievously and whispered something sexy in his wife's ear.

Now impossibly red, she quickly shoved him back. He just laughed at her embarrassment and sat back in a nearby chair. The nurse narrowed her eyes suspiciously and he held up his hands in surrender. "It's ok; I'll keep my hands to myself. I can't speak for her though," he winked at Ritsuko. She scowled at him as her blush simmered still.

The strict nurse tsked disapprovingly at them as she finished checking Ritsuko's vitals. The girl was submissive this time, too self-conscious to be stubborn about the procedure. Just as the nurse was wrapping up her report, dinner was delivered.

"Oh come now, don't act like you didn't enjoy it," he teased when they were alone again.

She smiled sheepishly and quickly changed the subject. "So again, what movies did you bring?"

"Oh yeah." He reached over to grab them. "I brought some of your favorites: The Avengers, X-Men, Batman Begins-"

"Ooo! Dat un!" She pointed eagerly with her fork, mouth full of food. She quickly swallowed. "Liam Neeson makes a super hot villain!"

He scowled darkly. "Don't make me break this DVD," he growled.

"Why, does that make you jealous?" She teased.

"No, I'm selfish," he said as he inserted it into the player. "I'm not gonna share you with some celebrity."

"Well you don't worry about it because he wouldn't be interested in the likes of me." She said as she took another bite. "No, my dear, I fear that you're stuck with me." She let out a villain-like mwhahahaha just for fun.

He laughed in turn. "Good because I wouldn't settle for less." He said as he sat down to eat.

* * *

A/N: Sorry guys about the super long wait. (I hope that its been worth the wait) I'm gonna try to wrap up this story up soon. Thanks for all the comments and favorites!


	22. Chapter 22: The Eager Help

Ritsuko was restless throughout the night. She felt terribly uncomfortable in her airy hospital gown and the stiff sheets and scratchy blankets that made her itch. Kisame wasn't anymore comfortable in the hospital chair that could be pulled out into a mini bed. He wasn't a mini kind of guy. His limbs were cramped and sore, not to mention all of Ritsuko's tossing and turning was keeping him up. Eventually he gave up and crawled carefully into her bed. It was big enough for the two. He pulled her in close to his chest and before long she settled down. He soon fell asleep too, with a soft smirk on his lips as he breathed in her cinnamon scent.

Naturally this caused a scene the next morning with that up-tight nurse who lectured him about public decency and what-not. Ritsuko was embarrassed again but he kissed her all the same. "Good morning," he whispered against her lips.

She giggled softly and kissed him back.

After breakfast the doctor came back to give a follow-up check. Everything looked good but again he reminded her about bed-rest. "Your condition is stable but anything strenuous, including a lot of walking around, could further damage the placenta. You have to be very careful."

She nodded silently and eagerly, but didn't listen too much. The thought of freedom was too distracting. Kisame noticed the blank look in her eyes and bristled slightly. Still he kept silent. There was no sense in stressing about it because she would be taken care of. He had seen to that. Even after given clearance to leave, they were still stuck filling out paperwork for awhile. It was after noon by the time they went home.

Kisame wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked to their apartment. He caught her looking at him shrewdly. "What?"

"You're up to something," she said suspiciously.

"Like what?"

"You haven't said a word about me having to be on bed rest. It's not like you to spare me a lecture."

He stiffened at that. "You make it sound like ALL I do is scold you," he grumbled.

"No, but you worry unnecessarily. Like a LOT. And that drives you into 'Protector' mode."

"Protector Mode?" He scoffed. "You make me sound like an action figure setting."

"Why not, you've got the build," she teased as she gently pinched his bicep. "Now quit stalling, you haven't answered my question."

He should have known that she'd suspect something but he didn't want to ruin the surprise. He gently shrugged her off. "You're imagining things," he mumbled. He didn't trust himself to say anything else. He quickly unlocked the apartment and felt her critical gaze at his back.

Then she suddenly sighed. "Maybe you're right. I didn't sleep real well last night…"

Kisame turned towards her in obvious surprise. She really must be exhausted to give up so easily. Just then a blur raced past him and glomped Ritsuko. She shrieked and tried to peel it off of her…until she realized who "it" was. "Shiza! Is it really…I can't believe it!" The rest of her words were unintelligible in her joy. Both girls hugged each other while they laughed excitedly. Kisame winced at the high-pitched squeals and went inside the apartment, leaving the door cracked open behind him.

"I'm so glad that you're alright!" Shizako gushed. "Now lemme see my little niece." She pulled back to see her friend's stomach. Her eyes widened. "Wow, you're HUGE!"

Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Gee thanks," she grumbled but she got over it. "But what are you doing here? Is Itachi here too?"

She shook her head. "I'm here to help you out and to make sure that you stay in bed like you're supposed to," she lifted her chin stubbornly.

Ritsuko blinked in surprise and then scowled in the direction of the door. "I should've known," she growled.

"Hey he means well," Shizako defended him. "He really does love you, you know."

"And he's paranoid too," she huffed. She went inside to challenge him and found him changing in their room. His back was to her as he pulled on a clean shirt. She opened her mouth to protest but he was anticipating it.

"You need looking after because we both know you're not going to want to stay in bed," he said firmly. "And who better to help than your very best friend?"

That part was a little hard to argue but she was determined to. "Well yeah but-"

He turned to face her. "I just want what's best for you and the baby. You _have_ to take it easy, whether you like it or not."

Fire ignited in her eyes as she narrowed them angrily. Now he'd struck a nerve. She hated being told what to do. He squared his shoulders, hands flexed instinctively as he waited for her to throw the first punch. The air was thick with tension until she rested a hand over her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Yeah, I know," she conceded.

Again he was worried about how quickly she surrendered. Perhaps the girly greeting had spent her last bit of energy. She sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at her hands.

"Why don't you rest a little before lunch?" He offered cautiously.

"I'm not tired," she mumbled softly.

"Nobody buys that, not even you," he chuckled softly.

She smirked gently but he couldn't get over how tired she looked. She shrugged. "Fine, might as well if I'm gonna be stuck here," she grumbled as she climbed into bed. She managed one good punch into her pillow before laying still. He bent down to kiss her cheek. She growled softly which turned to a giggle when he gently nibbled her ear.

He closed the door behind him and found Shizako waiting expectantly in the living room. "She's just resting now," he explained as he turned towards the kitchen. He was starving. He didn't bother to eat at the hospital again, stupid stuff tasted like cardboard. "You want something too?" He offered as he looked over his shoulder. She didn't answer as she looked at him sympathetically. That confused him. "Is something wrong?

Her gaze turned down the hallway towards the hallway. "She almost died…didn't she?" She murmured.

He stiffened instinctively. He didn't like how that sounded, even if it was true. "What? No. It'd take more than that to…" but even he couldn't causally say 'kill.' He sighed as he shut the fridge door. "She was very lucky," he conceded.

Shizako looked back at him with a soft sad smile. "Since she's met you…she has been," she confessed. He blinked in surprise. Shizako had never really liked him since the beginning, though he didn't blame her. She giggled at his surprise. "Alright so you're not such a beast after all."

He smirked gently. "Not normally no." He set some sandwich making stuff on the table and she approached him.

"I actually ordered a pepperoni pizza like ten minutes ago. Why don't you have some of that?" She offered.

He nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."

As they ate it, he shared the doctor's notes for Ritsuko's recommended treatment. Shizako listened intently and took a few notes. "Oh don't bother, I'll just leave this with you," he said as he paused the folder to her. He wore a grateful smile. "Look, I really appreciate this. I know that it was asking a huge favor."

"Oh don't worry about it, I was about to ask when I could visit." She smiled back. "I hope to visit more often," she challenged.

He chuckled. "We can probably work something out."

The next day he went to school and Shizako set about enforcing the doctor's orders. Ritsuko grumbled a little but obeyed. Not just because she was her very best friend, but because she didn't have the energy to fight back. That she blamed on the stupid pain-killers. But it wasn't all so bad; sometimes they'd sit on the couch and watch movies on the big screen TV.

"Just like old times," Shizako mused once.

"Yeah back before I was a blimp." Ritsuko smirked as she patted her belly.

"Oh you are so not!" Shizako protested, which only made her friend laugh. She looked down at her swelled stomach. She didn't mean to stare but she felt jealous as she watched the baby shift in the womb.

Ritsuko's laughter faded as noticed her friend's strange look. It wasn't one she got often from her. After all, what was there to envy about Ritsuko? She wasn't sure what to say, but settled for honesty, however blunt it was. "You want to have a baby too."

Shizako reddened and mumbled. "It's not practical right now anyway."

Ritsuko frowned. "But you still want one," she pressed. Shizako's stubbornness started to crack as she reluctantly nodded. With a groan she buried her face into a pillow. Ritsuko frowned and wrenched the pillow away. "C'mon don't be like that. You're married now so what's the problem?"

"Itachi said that he's not ready!" She snapped as she snatched the pillow back. Her furious tone was undermined by the tears that gathered in the corner of her eyes. Ritsuko blinked in surprise and was truly speechless for once. Shizako fiddled with the fringe of the pillow as she mumbled. "He thinks it's too soon, that we should concentrate on our education first, that…" the rest of her words were unintelligible as her voice grew thick with emotion. It was just as well. It was obvious that she didn't share her husband's rationale.

"But you don't agree," she summed up as she wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. Shizako sniffled as she snuggled close and nodded silently. "Does Itachi know how you feel?" Ritsuko asked reluctantly. She had a hard time seeing the Uchiha deny her something she really wanted.

Shizako quickly shook her head. "I just couldn't!"

Ritsuko groaned. "And why not? Your opinion is just as valid as his own. Both of you should come to agreement on it, try to compromise, you know."

"Is that how you and Kisame did it?" Shizako asked as she straightened up and wiped her tears on her sleeve.

Ritsuko reddened. "Uh…not exactly."

Shizako frowned in confusion for a moment before she face-palmed. "After all that you still didn't bother to get protection the 2nd time round," she groaned.

The blush burned fiercely on her cheeks. "You know that I'm terrible with planning things out!"

Shizako laughed. "Yeah but it looks like things turned out for the best."

Ritsuko smiled shyly at that as she nodded. "Yeah…it did." Her gaze drifted over to one of the wedding pictures they had framed. In it Kisame held her bridal style in his arms as he walked into the ocean. She remembered how scared she was that he'd drop her in for fun. She clung to his neck with a shriek. "Don't drop me! I'll kill you if you do!" Then to her surprise he gently nuzzled her neck. "Trust me Suko. I will never let you go." She then looked into his tender gaze, which was so full of love and adoration. No guy had ever looked at her like that, not even Kankuro. In that moment she truly felt like the luckiest girl in the world. She then leaned in to kiss him and the photograph had captured the moment so perfectly. In retrospect the events that had led to the kiss were far more important than just the kiss alone had been. All the same it was one of her favorite pictures from that day.

"Anyway you should tell Itachi how you feel," she said as she turned back to her friend. Shizako shifted uncomfortably and Ritsuko pinched her nose. "Promise me." She grinned. Shizako tried in vain to pull free and swatted at her. But it did no good; Ritsuko just laughed at her. "I'm not lettin' go till you promise."

"Alright, fine! I promise!" She said nasally.

Only then did Ritsuko release her. "Good," she said smugly.

Shizako scowled as she rubbed her red nose. But soon the two girls burst out laughing. It was like old times once again and it felt good to relive that.


End file.
